


The Other Man

by Fallenstar92



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Abusive Caleb, Abusive Relationships, Angst, Bartender Mickey, Bipolar Ian, Cheating, Comforting Mickey, Divorce, Doctor Ian, Eating Disorders, Emotional/Mental Abuse, Established Relationship, Hurt Ian, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Manipulative Relationship, Mpreg, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:54:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 21,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11273100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallenstar92/pseuds/Fallenstar92
Summary: Ian's husband, Caleb, makes Ian feel worthless. His boyfriend, Mickey,-however-makes him feel perfect. After years of being told he's nothing Ian doesn't trust Mickey not to abandon him if he leaves Caleb no matter how much they love each other. Mickey understood all of this, until he finds out he's pregnant. Will Ian ever work up the courage to leave his abuser or will he lose the love of his life?





	1. Oh Darling, I Love You So

Ian was exhausted; Caleb had been screaming at him for twenty minutes and he just wanted to leave. "Why the fuck are you actin' like this is a big deal?" The older man asked, glaring down at Ian as he sat at their kitchen table. Ian felt tears in his eyes as Caleb slammed his fist down onto the wooden surface with enough force to knock one of his stupid fucking statues to the floor.

"You brought your girlfriend to our home, Caleb." Ian muttered, avoiding Caleb's seething brown eyes. "I haven't said anything to you about seein' her for years, but you weren't supposed to bring her here."

"I told you why she was here!" Caleb shouted. Yes, he had, and it nearly made Ian sick; neither Caleb or Ian were carriers and Caleb had demanded that Ian have sex with the woman to get her pregnant-Caleb refused to do it himself because he was HIV positive and it would require unprotected sex and risk passing the disease down to the child-and started screaming at Ian when he said he wouldn't. Ian had used the excuse that he wasn't physically attracted to women and that would prevent him from becoming aroused, but Ian didn't want a family with his husband. "She agreed to have a fuckin' baby for us, Ian!"

"I can't do this." Ian rushed out in a panic, standing up to leave the oppressive-feeling condo. "I'll stay with Lip, tonight." With that, Ian was gone.

 

Mickey didn't like having nights off; it gave him too much time to think about being the other man. He loved his boyfriend-loved him enough to stay with him despite knowing Ian was married-but he felt sick with himself over being someone's dirty little secret. He groaned and rolled over in his bed when he heard a knock at the door of his condo. "Comin'!" Mickey called out, making his way to the front door. Mickey had stopped worrying about people seeing him in nothing more than his underwear-he knew his body looked pretty good-and opened the door without a care. That changed, however, when he saw Ian on the other side, tears in his pretty green eyes, striking red hair a mess, (he assumed from pulling at it) and his gorgeous pale face red and blotchy. "Baby..."

"He's not gonna give up, Mick." Ian whimpered softly as he entered the beautiful condo, throwing his arms around the brunette man and collapsing against him in a heap. "He's gonna force me to have a baby with him; I'm never gonna be able to leave." Ian sobbed into Mickey's bare shoulder. "I just want out! I wanna be with you."

"I know, honey." Mickey soothed, rubbing Ian's back. "I'm so sorry." He whispered into the red hair he loved so much.

"Can I stay tonight? I just wanna be close to you." Ian reluctantly pulled away, looking into the blue eyes that felt like home to him.

"Of course, baby; it's your place, too, remember?" Mickey assured the younger man, not reminding Ian that he was the one who had purchased the condo for Mickey and himself.

 

"Why didn't you just use your key?" Mickey softly asked, running his fingers through the younger man's hair.

"Didn't think you'd really want me here." Ian mumbled. Mickey hated how low his boyfriend's confidence was; Ian was fucking beautiful, smart, caring, funny, charming, and-not that it was the most important thing, but it sure as hell made him even more perfect-he was fucking phenomenal in bed.

"Always want you here." Mickey told Ian, gently. They had met five years ago when Ian-then twenty-seven-came into the bar where Mickey-then twenty-nine-worked as a bartender. Mickey was completely taken with the tall, beautiful redhead sitting at the bar almost instantly.

 

_Ian walked into the smallest bar he could find in Boystown, totally heartbroken; he had just found out his husband of five years-who wasn't admittedly the best husband, anyway-was cheating on him. The two were in bed after fairly usual for them-but some of the worst Ian had ever had, if he was honest with himself-sex, when Caleb told him that sex with his girlfriend-Denise-was much better. Ian had tried to be a good person, even when Caleb screamed at him and told him he was worthless and was rewarded by being cheated on by the man he married. Ian took a seat at the bar, looking down at the silver band on his left ring finger._

_"Looks like you need a drink, red." A deep voice with a strong Chicago accent stated. Ian looked up, gasping when he saw a fucking beautiful brunette right in front of him. Ian had never seen a man so perfect; full, kissable lips, angular cheekbones, a thin nose, expressive eyebrows, thick black hair, and the most mesmerizing blue eyes Ian had ever seen._

_"Yeah." He croaked, unable to look away. He hadn't reacted this way when he'd met his husband, but he was slightly relieved about that, now. "Just a beer; whatever's on tap."_

_"Got it." The man said, quickly filling a mug with beer and passing it to Ian. "Mickey."_

_"Huh?" Ian asked, lamely, still staring._

_"My name. It's Mickey." He repeated with a smirk on those perfect fucking lips. "Gonna tell me yours?"_

_"Ian." Ian was proud he managed to even remember his name while looking at some so inhumanly gorgeous._

_"So, Ian, what's wrong?" Mickey asked, leaning on the bar. "Too fuckin' pretty to look so down." The brunette flirted easily._

_"I... I just found out my husband has had a girlfriend most of our marriage." Why the hell was Ian telling a complete stranger his personal business? "Asshole told me right after we fucked."_

_"Who the hell does that?" Mickey actually sounded... angry? But why? He didn't even know Ian._

_"I just... he treats me like shit, you know? Lied to me for fuckin' months about the fact that he's positive, tells me how fuckin' worthless I am and how no one else would want a used up whore, called me a pretentious asshole when I graduated med school... and then he cheats on me." Ian sniffed, wiping his eyes. "He uses the fact that I'm Bipolar against me every chance he gets. I've spent most of my adult life with him; don't know anything else, at this point."_

_"This guy sounds like a piece of shit." Mickey deadpanned. "He don't deserve a hot fucker like you if he's not gonna treat you like a fuckin' king."_

_"Not all that great... I'm not even good in bed." Ian's verbal filter had obviously went on vacation for the night._

_"Why do you say that?" Mickey asked, looking Ian over._

_"Caleb told me more than once." Ian muttered. "Never had any complaints before, but he says it every chance he gets."_

_"Maybe the problem's him." Mickey hummed._

_"Maybe. Kinda pisses him off that I get tested every month even though we use condoms... I'm a doctor, though! I know the fuckin' risks." Ian sighed. "I just wanna feel good about myself, again, you know?"_

_"Said you get tested. Guessin' you're clean?" Ian nodded. "I'm off in an hour." Mickey said with a sly wink before sauntering off._

 

_"Harder!" Mickey moaned, rocking back on Ian's cock as the man fucked him from behind on his bed in his shitty little apartment. "Fuck, so damn big!" Mickey gasped as Ian hit his prostate head-on._

_"Fuck, Mick!" Ian moaned, himself, tightening his grip on Mickey's hips as he continued to fuck the man under him. "So tight, baby." The name slipped, but Mickey moaned even louder at the term of endearment._

_"Don't stop. Please don't stop!" Mickey begged through broken breaths. "So good." Ian continued to pound into the brunette, loving to sounds pouring from those puffy lips as he assaulted his prostate. "Ian!" And just like that, Mickey was done, spilling onto the sheets below him before Ian filled his body with his own release._

_"That was amazing." Ian panted as he dropped onto the bed beside Mickey._

_"Shit, man. Never been fucked that good." Mickey mumbled as he lit a cigarette. "Problem definitely ain't you."_

_"Thanks." Ian laughed, taking a long drag off the cigarette Mickey passed him. "Can I see you, again?" Ian didn't like the idea of cheating, but he liked the way Mickey made him feel._

_"Anytime you want, baby." Mickey said seriously._

 

"I love you, Mickey. You know that, right?" Ian hoped Mickey knew; they'd been together for five years, after all.

"I know, honey." Mickey replied, lifting Ian's face to kiss him, softly. "I love you, too." Of course he did; they had started hooking up five years ago, started actually dating four years ago, and three years ago Ian admitted he hadn't had sex with his husband since their first time together as an actual couple-said it felt more like cheating to sleep with Caleb than to sleep with the man he loved-so Mickey knew Ian loved him, and of course he loved his redhead back. "Go to sleep, honey."

"Goodnight, love." Ian sighed, laying his head on Mickey's chest.

"Goodnight, Ian." Mickey whispered, falling asleep with Ian in his arms.


	2. Nothing But A Placeholder

Mickey felt horrible; he'd been vomiting for hours and was slightly dizzy when he stood up. This was the eighth day in a row he'd woken up like this, but he refused to tell his boyfriend, knowing Ian would worry himself sick. Once he was finally done expelling everything he'd eaten the night before, he sat back against the bathroom wall for a moment until the box for his birth control fell off a shelf and onto his head, bringing him a terrifying realization; while he took online classes to gain his business management degree during the day, worked nights, and spent as much time with Ian as he could, he hadn't taken it in nearly a month.

 

_"Shit!" Ian sighed, slamming the nightstand drawer closed. "We're out of condoms, baby." Ian moved down the bed until he at eye level with Mickey's erect cock._

_"On the pill; don't want you to blow me, I want you to fuck me, honey." Mickey panted as Ian licked a fat stripe from the base to the tip of Mickey's dick. "It's one time, Ian; not like we never went without one."_

_"What if I just wanna taste you?" Ian teased, swirling his tongue over the head of the cock in front of him. "Always taste so fuckin' good, baby."_

_"Fuck." Mickey sighed as Ian took him into his mouth. "Want you." He whimpered pathetically. "Please, honey." He begged as Ian bobbed his head, swallowing around Mickey. "Fuck, Ian, you gotta stop." He groaned, pulling Ian's red hair._

_"Ruinin' my fun." Ian pouted up at Mickey. "You know I'd give you what you want." He crawled up his boyfriend's body, staring lovingly into his eyes. "God, you're perfect."_

_"I love you." Mickey said, kissing Ian softly as the younger man started to prep him with slicked fingers. He was gasping and moaning into Ian's mouth the whole time he stretched the older man, their lips barely separated even when Ian slowly pushed his cock into Mickey. "Fuck you're big." Mickey sighed, clutching Ian's shoulders tightly. Ian rolled his hips slowly, burying his face into Mickey's neck._

_"Love you, baby." Ian shuttered, angling his hips so his cock hit Mickey's prostate. Mickey's back arched off the bed, his nails digging into Ian's back to create a delicious mixture of pain and pleasure. "I got you, baby."_

_"So good." Mickey managed to gasp out. The men continued to move together, Ian slowly working Mickey's cock with his hand until they came together, both shuttering through their orgasms. "Fuck." Mickey sighed, rolling so he he's laying on top of Ian._

_"Is it weird I'd rather go bareback?" Ian laughed, caressing Mickey's back sweetly._

_"Fuckin' freak." Mickey teased, kissing the small tattoo of a raven over Ian's heart. He'd gotten the tattoo on Mickey's thirty-first birthday specifically as a sign of his love for the brunette man-saying ravens were beautiful and the black feathers reminded him of Mickey's hair-and Mickey was fucking obsessed. He yawned, snuggling further into his chest. "Like knowin' I'm the only one." He whispered into Ian's damp skin._

_"Always. Gonna leave him and marry you, someday." Ian promised, kissing Mickey's hair. "Love you so much, Mick."_

_"Love you, too." Mickey muttered as he started to fall asleep._

 

He couldn't be pregnant. Ian was still married and Mickey couldn't raise a baby alone. He stood quickly, ignoring the nauseous rolling in his stomach as he got to his room and dialed his phone.

_"Hey, baby."_ Ian answered the phone, smile obvious in the tone of his voice.

"When's your lunch break?" He shakily asked.

_"Ten minutes. Why?"_ He hated that he was worrying Ian, but Mickey was freaking the fuck out thinking there was a chance he might be pregnant.

"Come home." They both knew he spent more time at their condo than Caleb's, so he didn't hesitate to refer to this over-sized fucking apartment as "home" to the redhead. "Stop at the drug store."

 

"How much longer?" Mickey asked, pacing the floor of the master bedroom.

"Twenty seconds." Ian answered wryly. "We'll make this work, Mick."

"How? I love you-I really fuckin' do-but you're married, Ian; how the fuck are we gonna make me bein' pregnant work?" Mickey ranted, chewing his thumbnail.

"Hey," Ian stepped in front of Mickey, cupping the brunette's cheeks in his large hands. "I love you, not him. This is even more reason to fuckin' leave him." The timer on Ian's phone went off and Mickey pulled away to check the pregnancy test. "What's the verdict?"

"You need to leave, Ian." Mickey rasped. "I'll move my shit out-stay with Mandy-but you need to sell this place and go back to your husband."

"Fuck no." Ian said calmly. "You know what I was like before-know the shit I did to myself to try and make him happy-so I'm not goin' back to my damn husband. And I'm not losin' you." Ian took the pregnancy test from Mickey, looking down at the small pink plus sign. "The whole time I've been married I've known I didn't want kids."

"That's why I'm tellin' you to leave; I had an abortion before and swore I wasn't fuckin' doin' it, again." Mickey sighed, reaching to take the test back.

"Let me finish. I didn't want kids with  _Caleb._ But we're different... I want our baby. Just... give me time to get the divorce shit started, okay?" Ian begged, stroking Mickey's cheek with his free hand. Mickey nodded, though he didn't believe Ian would ever actually leave Caleb, and he would be left alone with the child he and Ian had made together. He felt like nothing but a placeholder.

 


	3. Where I Belong

Ian didn't want to go back to Caleb's condo three days after he found out he was going to be a father, but he wanted to give Caleb the divorce papers, himself, and to get the rest of his belongings. "Finally slinkin' back home?" Caleb asked from the kitchen as he cooked himself dinner. "Where've you been?" This was it; this was where Ian was going to have to work up the courage to leave this man.

"Home." Ian said, truthfully.

"No. I was home. I asked where  _you_ were, Ian." Caleb said in a tone Ian knew all too well; he was about to be broken down even farther. "What? Can't talk, now?"

"I told you; I was at home. I never said I was here." Ian whispered, looking away.

"Speak the fuck up!" Caleb yelled. "And tell me where the fuck you were!"

"I was with my boyfriend!" Ian yelled back, proud he wasn't afraid of his husband in this moment. "I was with my boyfriend at  _home!"_

"Shoulda known you were still nothing but a fuckin' used up whore." Caleb sneered, stepping closer to Ian. "You were just a fuckin' stripper blowin' guys for fifty bucks a pop when I met you! I made you who you are and you're fuckin' cheating on me? You think he really wants your ass? No one would ever want your fucking slutty ass!"

"I'm leaving you!" Ian blurted out. "You've had a girlfriend for nine fuckin' years, talk to me like shit, and can't tell the truth to save your fuckin' life! I'm leaving, and I'm divorcing you!" Ian slammed the papers down on the countertop. "And he loves me." Ian rushed to the bedroom, packing his duffel bag as quickly as he could.

"How the fuck am I supposed to afford this place alone? How could you be fuckin' selfish enough to leave me for some gold digging whore who just wants you for money?" Caleb roared as he walked into the bedroom, ripping the duffel bag out of Ian's hand. "No one could fuckin' love you! Does he know you the way I do? Does he know you're fuckin' crazy?"

"I'm not crazy, Caleb!" Ian exclaimed. "My fuckin' disorder and job aren't the only things about me!"

"You're not fuckin' leavin' me." Caleb seethed. "He won't stay, Ian; you think he wants you full time? Fuck, I married you and don't want your ass full time; you're too much for people to handle." He stepped closer to Ian, grabbing his arms in a tight grip, his dark knuckles paling with the force he held Ian with. "You're not worth shit, so stop thinkin' you're some fuckin' gift; I coulda got someone better and I settled for you outta the kindness of my heart."

"Let go of me, Caleb." Ian tried to sound calm, but Caleb-as horrible as he was to Ian-had never laid a hand on him. "Alimony will pay the house payments, but I made up my mind years ago."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" Caleb demanded.

"Think about it; we haven't had sex in four years, Caleb." Ian was proud of how level his voice was. "I've been with him for five years, been loyal to him for four, and I've been planning to leave you since the night I met him. My family and friends know about him-they love him-and he treats me like I'm fuckin' worth something! I don't have to starve myself 'cause he thinks I'm "a fat whore" and I haven't fuckin' hurt myself since I got with him!" Ian was letting everything out and it felt good; he was saying everything he'd wanted to say to Caleb for over five years.

"Shoulda known; you put on weight." Caleb laughed. "Must like fat-asses." Ian managed to pull his arms away from Caleb, pick the duffel bag back up, and pack the rest of his things before Caleb grabbed him again. "You're fuckin' staying."

"No I'm not." Ian said calmly. "Sign the papers, move your girlfriend in, and stay away from-" Ian fell to the ground as Caleb through a hard punch at his cheek. "Bye, Caleb. Anything else that's left is fuckin' yours; I don't want it." With that, Ian stood up and left.

_Mickey: Everything okay?_

_Ian: Yeah, I'll be home in a few, baby. Love you._

_Mickey: Love you, too, honey._

Even though Ian knew his boyfriend loved him, he wondered if his soon-to-be ex-husband was right; was he too much to handle? Was he unlovable? He found himself looking at his reflection in the elevator doors. He was bigger than he was when he met Mickey-the older man having helped him through some of his struggles with Anorexia-but was he fat? Ian thought he could stand to lose a few pounds.

 

"Hey, honey." Mickey greeted when Ian walked into the condo, moving to kiss him softly. "What the fuck, Ian!" Mickey gasped when he noticed the fresh bruise blossoming on Ian's cheek. "Did that motherfucker do this?"

"He got one hit in, baby... I'm fine." Ian assured the shorter man. "Come help me unpack? I wanna be officially moved into our place." Mickey bit his full bottom lip, still looking at the bruise on Ian's cheek. "Hey, I'm okay. I'm happy." Ian really was; he was free to be with the love of his life without Caleb in the way.

"Okay. Just don't like seein' you hurt." Mickey had seen Ian hurt enough; had seen the scars the man bore on his skin from a combination of self-harm and his two suicide attempts from before he knew Mickey.

"He can't hurt me, anymore; I got my thug boyfriend to protect me." Ian muttered with a smile, wrapping his arms around Mickey.

"Damn right." Mickey shot back in a flirty tone. "Ain't gonna let nothin' fuckin' happen to my baby." Ian's smile faded slightly. "What's wrong?"

"You think I'm gettin' fat?" Ian asked shyly. He didn't lie to Mickey; he didn't want to lie to the only man he had ever felt safe being himself around.

"No, you look fuckin' perfect, honey." Mickey said in disbelief. "Did that asshole say you were fat?" Mickey looked ready to fucking kill so Ian tightened his arms around Mickey.

"You know what he's like, Mick; he wants to break me." Ian said quietly. "I just... I know I put on some weight, and-"

"You look healthy, now." Mickey said, cutting Ian off. "You were too fuckin' skinny when we met-still fuckin' beautiful, but too damn skinny-and now you don't look like you're gonna fall over if I hug you."

"I just wanna look good for you." Ian said shyly. "You can do better and I don't wanna lose you."

"You look amazing, Ian. I love  _you,_ not what you look like." Ian nodded, and Mickey rewarded him with a kiss. "Let's put this shit away, eat some dinner, you can fuck my brains out in  _our_ bed, and we'll fall asleep together."

 

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to just sleep in our bed without worryin' about ever havin' to go back to that place." Ian sighed, stroking Mickey's back as the older man rested his head on Ian's chest. "Just us."

"All I wanted since that first night." Mickey admitted. "Thought you were the hottest fuckin' guy I'd ever seen, then you started talkin' and I just... I wanted to help you any way I could."

"You did, baby." Ian assured. "You loved me when I couldn't even love myself."

"You should." Mickey moved just enough to kiss the underside of Ian's jaw. "You're amazing. I love you, honey... get some sleep."

"Night, baby. I love you." Mickey watched Ian as he fell asleep, thinking of how to rebuild his lover before their child joined them, because-even after five years of him loving Ian and telling him how beautiful he found him-Ian was still broken. He made it his mission to build this man back up to the strong, independent person he knew Ian could be.


	4. I'm Only Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot about this story, but I'm coming back to it!

Ian had been on cloud fucking nine since he had completely moved in with Mickey; he was finally with the beautiful, brunette man from the time he got home from the Hospital until he left again the next day. His family was ecstatic that Caleb was no longer a part of Ian's life and adored Mickey more than Ian would have imagined possible. "Doctor Daniels?" One of Ian's residents-a young man named Trevor, who Ian liked, despite the boy seeming very shy-called out as Ian walked past the nurses station.

"You can call me Ian, Trevor." Ian chuckled, stopping to pick up a file one of the older nurses passed him. "Something on your mind?"

"No. Uhm, someone told me to let you know your husband was here." Trevor replied, scratching the back of his neck in a very uncomfortable manner.

"M-my husband?" Ian's voice shot up an octave; why the hell was Caleb here? He hadn't seen him since he dropped the divorce papers off nearly three weeks ago.

"Yeah. His name is "Mikey", right?" Ian felt his entire body relax; Caleb wasn't here, but Mickey was.

"Long story short, kid?  _Mickey's_ my boyfriend; Caleb is the guy I'm in the process of divorcing." Ian informed the younger-and obviously confused-man. "Can you tell me where Mickey is?"

"Your office... Sorry for the misunderstanding." Trevor apologized sincerely.

"Not your fault, Trev. I forgot you were new; almost everyone here knows Mick." Ian amended. "Louise, I'm takin' my break." The nurse nodded with a smile and watched Ian as he disappeared down the hall towards his office.

 

"You gonna change your last name back to Gallagher after the divorce is finalized?" Mickey asked from his spot behind Ian's desk as he flipped his name plate over in his hands.

"Yeah; don't wanna be a Daniels the rest of my life. Why?" Ian asked, taking a seat on the edge of his desk, watching his boyfriend's tattooed fingers trace the letters of his name.

"Don't want our kid to have a different last name than his Dad." Mickey said with a shrug. "Sure as shit not gonna saddle him with "Milkovich" and I'm not gonna fuckin' give him that douchebag's last name."

"You wanna give him my last name?" Ian knew this child-whom they always refused to call "it", instead always referring to them as "he"-was his, but he had assumed Mickey would give them his own last name.

"Well yeah; he's your son, man!" Mickey chuckled. "Why the hell wouldn't he have your last name?"

"I ever told you how much I love you?" Ian sighed, staring at the man with the most adoring expression Mickey had ever seen. "You know, Trev-our new resident-did some time as an ultrasound tech before he was finished with med school... Could ask him to check out the little guy."

"Don't got insurance, man." Mickey groaned, dropping his hand to his still flat abdomen. "Definitely can't afford that shit."

"You forgetting I'm a Doctor? Job sorta comes with benefits; I can talked to Marshall about havin' you added to my coverage." Ian informed his boyfriend. "Gonna add the baby when he gets here, anyway."

"He's gonna have to have a name at some point." Mickey pointed out, completely ignoring Ian's generous offer; he had already purchased Mickey a home, how much more could he possibly do for Mickey?

"We'll get there... You know, once we're sure he's actually a boy." Ian replied, placing his own hand on Mickey's stomach. "Who do you think he's gonna look like?"

"You're the doctor; what's more likely?" Mickey asked, watching Ian's fingers dance over his abdomen.

"Genetically speaking he's more likely to have my eyes, but your hair. Skin tone is essentially a toss-up-they're fairly similar-and dimples are recessive, so-sadly-he's more likely not to have those adorable fuckin' dimples you got." Ian recited as if reading facts from a medical book. "Still hopin' he'll look more like you."

"Think you might be too smart for me." Mickey chuckled. "Brought your lunch."

"Thank you, baby." Ian replied, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on Mickey's lips. "And you're brilliant."

"Bullshit." Mickey snarked, wrapping his arms around Ian's neck.

"How'd your finals go?" Ian asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the older man.

"Not sure; know I did alright on my calculus final, but not sure about the psychology or intro to business ones." Mickey replied.

"So smart." Ian crooned, nuzzling his nose against Mickey's. "Beautiful, smart, and just so wonderful. I got so lucky."

"Full of shit, man; eat your damn lunch so I can go home and fuckin' sleep." Mickey nipped softly at Ian's nose, earning a chuckle from the handsome redhead.

"Nope; gonna have Trev check up on Baby Gallagher before you go home." Ian chirped, moving away enough to dig into his salad and pineapple mango juice. "God, this is so fuckin' good!"

"Fuckin' gross, man." Mickey chuckled, taking a huge bite of his burger. "This is good."

"Feedin' our son so healthy." Ian chuckled. "Try to eat some vegetables, tonight?"

"Lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. Got vegetables, bitch." Mickey shot back.

"Daddy is so sorry you're not getting all of those yummy veggies you need, sweetie." Ian joked to their unborn child.

 

"Thanks for helpin' out, Trev." Ian said as his boyfriend laid back on an examination table.

"Not a problem, Doctor... Uhm, not a problem, Ian." Trevor stuttered, glancing at his boss as he set up the ultrasound machine. "Is this the first time you guys are seein' the baby?" Mickey nodded, looking at his boyfriend and silently begging him to come hold his hand; call him a bitch all you want, he wanted to share this moment with Ian. "This is gonna be a little cold."

"Fuck!" Mickey shouted, glaring at the young doctor as he applied cold gel to his stomach. "That shit is cold as hell!"

"Mick, calm down; you gotta hold still." Ian told his boyfriend, taking the blue-eyed man's hand as Trevor tried to locate their child. A "wooshing" sound filled the small room as their child's heartbeat registered. "Shit." Ian rasped, listening to the fast, beautiful sound of their child's very life force.

"Strong heartbeat; that's good." Trevor commented. "See that little spot right there? That's your baby... Based on the size, looks like you're about... Thirteen weeks along."

"That far?" Mickey questioned, realizing he was actually farther along in his pregnancy than he'd assumed.

"Looks like it; should be able to identify the gender in just a few weeks. I'll be around any time you guys need." Trevor told the expecting parents. "Overall, your baby looks healthy." The parents thanked the younger man, again, got Mickey cleaned up, and left the room with copies of the first photo of their child.

 

Fiona Gallagher was exhausted as she stumbled down the stairs of her home the morning after a late-night event at the diner to answer the pounding on the front door. "Hold on!" Fiona yelled, clearing a path to the door-cursing the fact that her younger siblings simply tossed their belongings around-and opened the door. She was rather shocked to find her brother's ex-or soon to be, at least-husband standing just outside. "Caleb?"

"Hey, Fi." Fiona despised this man; he had ruined the once vibrant person Ian had once been and it took four years of his boyfriend-whom Fiona had nothing but good things to say about-building him up to bring even half of that man back. "Lookin' for Ian; has he been stayin' here?"

"No." Fiona replied shortly. She just wanted Caleb to leave so she could go back to bed for a few more hours before she had to get up for work.

"Do you know where he is?" Caleb asked, glaring down at his sister-in-law.

"Nope." Lie; Ian was at work-probably enjoying his lunch break with his boyfriend-and she knew exactly where his apartment was if he had already left the Hospital for the day. "Are we done here? I worked late and I'd like to get some sleep before I have to go back." This was sort of a low blow; Caleb had left his paying job as a Firefighter after Ian had graduated Medical school to focus on his "art" and leaving Ian to pick up the slack.

"When you see him, tell him I'm not signin' this shit." Caleb said, tossing the divorce papers onto the floor. "Tell him I'm gettin' a lawyer." With that, Caleb walked away and Fiona dreaded having to tell her brother what he'd said. This would crush Ian and-she feared-might be the last straw for Mickey.


	5. Cutting Losses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets pretty dark, so take this as a warning.

Ian was staring at the ultrasound picture of his beautiful baby on and off until he was outside the front door of their condo; he couldn't believe their child was already so amazing to him, despite just appearing as a blob at this point. "Hey, baby, I picked up dinner!" Ian called out as he walked in, not bothering to look in the direction of the couch as he kicked off his shoes.

"Hey, sweetface!" Fiona nervously exclaimed, running up to her brother and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Hey, Fi! Wish I knew you were stoppin' by; would've got you somethin' to eat." Ian replied as he hugged his sister closer to his chest.

"I'm fine, sweetface. Mickey showed me the ultrasound! I can't believe you guys are havin' a baby!" Fiona gushed. "He keeps callin' the baby "he", though."

"Don't wanna call the baby "it" all the damn time." Mickey snarked, moving to hug his boyfriend. "You get me fried rice?"

"Chicken fried rice, dumplings, and orange green tea; I know you hate it, but a friend of mine said it's an okay source of caffeine when you're pregnant and you're missin' coffee." Ian said, handing a bag of Chinese takeout to Mickey.

"God, I fuckin' love your ass!" Mickey moaned, sniffing the bag.

"He always like that when you bring him food?" Fiona giggled, watching Mickey dig into his food.

"Only since he got pregnant." Ian replied, sitting his own food on the table. "You okay, Fi? You seem nervous." Ian didn't like how fidgety Fiona had been since he walked into his home.

"Fiona, I'll tell him." Mickey sighed, dropping his fork and turning to Ian, staring into those stunning moss green eyes with those perfectly imperfect golden flecks. "Caleb went to Fiona's; said he's not signin' the divorce papers and he's gettin' a lawyer."

"Let him. Lip did a good fuckin' job drawin' up those papers; he gets alimony, the condo, and he gets to keep the first car I bought." Ian sounded calm, but his fingernails were digging into his palm. "I'm not gonna let him fuckin' break me, again."

"This might be harder than you're makin' it out to be, Ian." Fiona warned, fearing her brother would slip back into his old coping mechanisms if this became too much.

"I'm doin' better, Fi; I got my shit, together." Ian assured his sister. "He's not ruinin' this for me... He's not takin' this away."

"Hey." Mickey was standing in front of his boyfriend, both hands on Ian's face. "I'm right fuckin' here," He removed on hand from Ian's face in order to take one of the redheaded man's and place it on his abdomen. "the baby is right here; we're not goin' anywhere."

"You're not going anywhere." Ian whispered-seemingly to himself-while Mickey scratched the fine copper hairs as the base of the taller man's skull. Fiona was just happy to see that Mickey wasn't going to leave Ian because his divorce was being stalled for the moment.

"I gotta head to work. You guys call me if you need anythin', alright?" Both men nodded and allowed Fiona to kiss their cheeks before she walked out. As the pair continued to stand in silence Mickey couldn't help being thankful for Fiona and the rest of the Gallagher family for standing by them from the beginning.

 

_"Why the hell am I here, Ian? They know you're fuckin' married." Mickey complained as he and Ian climbed out of Ian's car outside his sister's house. They had been "officially" dating for two months and Ian wanted Mickey to meet his family._

_"I already told you, Mick; they hate Caleb more than I do and they wanted to meet you after..." Ian trailed off, but Mickey knew what he meant; after he'd started to look happier and healthier than he had a little over a year ago. Ian had told him several times that Fiona-who was apparently the eldest of the Gallagher clan-had commented on how much better he looked._

_"This goes to shit? I'm blamin' you for draggin' me out here." Mickey warned, following Ian to the front door. Ian chuckled, draping his arm over Mickey's shoulders and opened the door, erupting in a grand mixture of chaos and noise as the two men entered the house._

_"Paging Doctor Gallagher!" A blond man with a cigarette stuffed behind his ear yelled, using his hands as a megaphone as he sauntered over to Ian._

_"Last name's not Gallagher, anymore." Ian chuckled, though Mickey could see a sadness in the younger man's expression as he hugged who Mickey was assuming was one of his brothers. "Mickey, this is my brother, Lip." Ian said, pulling Mickey into the chaos._

_"So this is the guy we have to thank!" A pretty brunette woman with big brown eyes and a bigger smile called as she ran into the living room with her arms outstretched. "Bringin' our Ian back after so long; you did good in a short time!" True, Ian was still barely over one hundred and twenty pounds, but he was slowly putting on weight and his smile was real._

_"Didn't do nothin'." Mickey muttered as the woman-Fiona, he assumed-hugged him._

_"You made him happy." Fiona said, patting Mickey's cheek. "Welcome to the Gallagher family, Mickey; I'm your new big sister, Fiona." Mickey had never felt so welcomed and loved in his entire life, and he liked this family, already._

 

"Lip had me screenshot all of Caleb's texts about the weigh-ins; could help get me the divorce faster considering some of the shit he said to me in 'em." Ian confessed to Mickey as they laid in bed, Mickey's head on his chest and the thin, cloud grey flat sheet draped over their naked hips. He felt Mickey tense, and knew Mickey was remembering the one time he'd been around when Caleb had contacted him about his monthly weigh-in.

 

_"Stop." Ian giggled as Mickey nibbled at his throat._

_"Nope." Mickey laughed in a muffled voice. "Like you."_

_"Just like?" Ian asked, smiling down at Mickey's dark hair._

_"No." Mickey said, finally moving up to kiss Ian. "Love your freckled ass."_

_"Love your jiggly ass, too." Ian joked, pecking the tip of Mickey's nose when his phone pinged. "Gotta check that; Fi wants us to go to the house for dinner tomorrow night." Ian groaned, picking up his phone with one hand and wrapping his other arm around Mickey's waist. He felt sick when he saw who the message was from; Caleb._

_Caleb(7:45PM): Weight?_

_"The fuck is he talkin' about?" Mickey demanded, staring down at Ian's phone._

_"He... He has me do weigh-ins once a month." Ian admitted before typing out his reply._

_Ian(7:48PM): 140._

_"He does what?!" Mickey jumped up, moving to get dressed and find his own phone. "Gonna call my fuckin' brothers; gonna kill that motherfucker."_

_"Hey!" Ian yelled, running to stand in front of Mickey. "No. No, don't do this; he's not worth you goin' to prison."_

_"Like fuck he's not! Did you even fuckin' hear what he said?" Mickey asked, pulling his shirt on._

_"Yes, but I need you, Mick... If I lose you, I have nothing." That broke Mickey's will to murder the motherfucker with his bare hands; he loved Ian enough to swallow his rage if it meant he could stay here and help his boyfriend._

_Caleb(8:00PM): What the fuck?! That's 10lbs this month, Ian! You gotta drop that extra weight!_

_"I wanna fuckin' end him." Mickey admitted._

_"I know, but please don't; I need you." Ian begged, hugging his boyfriend for dear life._

 

"Still wanna fuckin' kill him." Mickey whispered against Ian's chest.

"I know you do... But our baby needs both of his daddies." Ian soothed, feeling his eyes getting heavy.

"Asshole's lucky I got you and the baby to worry about." Mickey slurred, breathing evening out.

"So am I." Ian whispered, kissing Mickey's hair before allowing himself to fall asleep along with his boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some comments to let me know what you think. Much love!


	6. Victory Is In My Veins

"Sure you still want me doing this, man? I mean, his parents hate you, right? What if they get his spoiled ass a better lawyer?" Lip asked, sipping his coffee as he and Ian sat out on the balcony of the home Ian shared with his boyfriend.

"You're the smartest person I know, Lip." Ian reassured his brother, eyes locked on the ultrasound picture in his hands. "This isn't about me; it's about Mick and our son."

"You guys are gonna be fucking heartbroken if the baby's a girl." Lip remembered Mickey and Ian both insisting they didn't want to refer to their child as "it", but Lip was just hoping they didn't get their hopes up for a son only to discover they would actually have a daughter.

"Wouldn't matter; still gonna love the shit outta my baby." Ian proclaimed, still looking at the picture of his child. "Lip, man, I need you to help me, 'cause I know you can do this shit."

"Give me one time I've ever let you down." Lip replied, completely serious. "You're family, all three of you; you, Mickey, and the baby."

"Glad to know you think we're fuckin' family, Philip." Mickey said sarcastically, holding a white mug between his hands. "This tea shit sucks."

"Sorry, baby, but it's better for you than coffee." Ian apologized, pulling Mickey to sit on his lap. "Morning sickness getting any better?"

"Feel fine, today." Mickey replied softly, resting his head on Ian's shoulder. "You're starin', Lip."

"Sorry... Just weird to think my little brother's gonna be a daddy, soon." Lip couldn't take his eyes off of where his brother was softly stroking Mickey's abdomen under the man's t-shirt. Ian seemed so at ease it was almost like looking at a different person; Ian looked at Mickey as if the man had restored the air to his lungs after being trapped under water.

"Debs has a kid." Mickey pointed out, making Ian chuckled softly.

"Yeah, okay." Lip relented. "Got any name ideas for my nephew? Or niece, since, you know, you guys don't actually know if you're having a boy."

"Got a girl name." Mickey admitted, snuggling closer to Ian.

"Never told me that." Ian pointed out, looking down at his boyfriend.

"'Cause I'm pretty sure we're havin' a boy." Mickey mumbled against Ian's neck.

"What's the name?" Lip asked, secretly wanting to rub it in his siblings' faces that he knew the newest Gallagher's name before them.

"Jovie." Mickey said, nuzzling his nose against Ian's neck softly. "Got anything for a boy?"

"I like Tate; could work for either." Ian shrugged, clearly embarrassed.

"Jovie kinda could, too." Lip offered helpfully. He loved Mickey; he had helped him get his brother back, and Lip would be forever thankful.

"Jovie Tate Gallagher... Sounds okay, right?" Ian asked the clearly tired brunette.

"Yeah... I like it." Mickey was smiling, though most of his face was hidden where he was plastered to Ian.

"Hey, Jovie! It's Daddy!" Ian cooed to Mickey's barely there bump. Mickey looked content as Ian spoke to their child, his eyes soft and warm as Ian stared down at his stomach. Lip felt like he was intruding on a very private moment between the growing family.

"Gonna head home. Let me know how the thing goes." Lip instructed, taking his mug, dropping it off in the kitchen, and departing from his brother's home.

"What "thing" was he talkin' about?" Mickey asked, sitting up enough to take a sip of his tea, grimacing at the taste.

"Got something to show you. Come on." Ian said, patting Mickey's ass softly to let him know he needed to stand up. Mickey did, waiting for Ian to lead him inside, each carrying mugs in their hand and entering the much warmer condo, enjoying the shift from the chilly, Early October air. "Already had this in the works, but I wanted to surprise you after you told me you wanted the baby's last name to be Gallagher." Ian explained, taking two cards out of his wallet and passing them to Mickey.

Mickey was shocked; Ian had just handed him his Social Security card and driver's license. Instead of reading "Ian Clayton Daniels", the Social Security card read "Ian Clayton Gallagher" and the driver's license read "Gallagher, Ian C." Mickey couldn't speak; his boyfriend was no longer carrying his soon to be ex-husband's last name like a giant, oppressive weight on his shoulders everyday. "Ian..."

"When I met you, it was the first time I'd felt like Ian Gallagher in years... I wasn't "Caleb's husband", or "Doctor Daniels", I was just "Ian." And I was so fuckin' happy; I felt like myself, and I have everyday I've been with you, so I wanted to be Ian Gallagher again, legally." Ian seemed to be ranting, but Mickey felt like he was fucking flying; Ian was one step closer to being free of Caleb's looming presence.

"I fuckin' love you!" Mickey exclaimed, launching himself into Ian's arms and kissing the breath from Ian's lungs. "Holy shit, Ian... Jovie's gonna be a Gallagher."

"Yeah; our baby is gonna be a Gallagher... Poor kid." Ian joked lightly, his eyes shining as he looked down at Mickey's abdomen, admiring the bump that was almost completely unnoticeable.

"Think he's gonna be okay." Mickey replied softly, kissing Ian in a much gentler fashion than before. "I'm happy for you, honey."

"One more thing." Ian whispered, pecking Mickey's lips before disappearing into the nursery-which was just one of the extra bedrooms that had been painted a pale yellow with a crib and changing table-for a moment.

"You buy some baby shit? 'Cause we don't got much, yet." Mickey called, moving to make them both some eggs, toast, and fresh fruit-damn his inability to argue with those fucking alluring green eyes-while his boyfriend retrieved whatever he was after. "Oranges and raspberries okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine, love." Mickey stopped what he was doing; Ian only called him "love" when he was nervous or upset. What the hell was going on? Mickey turned around, seeing Ian holding a long, wide, flat white box in his hands. "Got you an Anniversary present."

"Not for another two weeks." Mickey replied tentatively, stirring the scrambled eggs in the pan.

"I know... Just don't wanna wait." Ian said, smiling a warm, reassuring smile in his boyfriend's direction. Ian sat the box down and helped Mickey finish their breakfast. "Before we eat... I wanna give you this." Ian said, walking over to the box and bringing it back over to where Mickey was seated at the table.

"Don't got your present, yet." Mickey had ordered Ian's present-a polished bronze name plaque for his desk, engraved with the name "Doctor Ian C. Gallagher, M.D." for after the divorce was finalized-but it wouldn't arrive for another week.

"I'll get it when I get it." Ian said with a shrug, waiting patiently for Mickey to open his gift. Mickey finally decided to ease the obvious tension Ian was feeling by opening the package. Inside were three onesies designed to look like jerseys; a navy blue Bears jersey, a silver White Sox jersey, and a black Bulls jersey. Mickey picked each one up, turned them over, and smiled at the name "Gallagher" written on the back.

"Hopefully kid don't end up bein' a Cubs fan." Mickey joked, feeling a little overwhelmed by the three tiny jerseys Ian had purchased for their child.

"Nah, we'll raise 'em right." Ian laughed, watching Mickey refold each onesie. "Somethin' else." Ian prompted. Ian moved the delicate white tissue paper only to find a soft, cream colored baby blanket decorated with small, brown rabbits. Mickey smiled, picking the blanket up and unfolding it, resulting in a soft "thud" as something fell to the floor. Ian moved to retrieve it, but stayed on his knees.

"Ian?" Mickey asked, feeling the air rushing from his lungs when he spotted Ian on one knee with a small, blue velvet box in his hands.

"We've been together for almost six years-yes, I count that first year, because it helped get us here-and I've never been more in love with anyone; you're it for me, Mick. We're about to have our first child together, and you said they should have the same last name as their dad, and I agree; they should have the same last name as  _both_ of their dads. We have to wait for this shit with Caleb to be over, but..." Ian opened the box that held silver ring with a thin, horizontal gold line in the middle. "Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich, will you marry me?"

Mickey nodded enthusiastically, pulling Ian up to kiss him. "Fuck yes I'll marry you!" Mickey laughed, watching in utter amazement as Ian slid the ring onto his left ring finger. "Holy shit, we're gettin' married!"

"Yes we are, baby; eat, Jovie needs breakfast." The couple ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence, their fingers interlocked and baby clothes sat aside the whole time. Ian knew he had some hard times ahead dealing with Caleb, but with his family-his fiancée, child, and siblings-all rallying behind him, he knew he could make it through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me some comments and let me know what you think. Much love!


	7. Here

Work was slow-going for Ian as he waited for his fiancée to come to the Hospital so they could see Jovie, again. Ian had easily convinced Marshall to add Mickey to his insurance coverage-considering they were now engaged-and was happy Mickey would be able to see a doctor regularly throughout the remainder of his pregnancy. "You got a visitor, Doctor Gallagher." Ian had never felt better hearing his last name; he was finally a Gallagher again, and that was fucking beautiful.

"Thanks, Louise." Ian replied, hurrying off to his office to greet Mickey. "Hey, baby!" Ian exclaimed, seeing Mickey seated at his desk with his hand on his small baby bump.

"Come 'ere; you gotta feel this!" Mickey ordered, holding out a hand towards Ian. "He's movin'." Ian rushed over, allowing Mickey to direct his hand to the right spot on his stomach. The breath caught in Ian's throat as he felt a small thump against the palm of his hand.

"Holy fuck." Ian rasped, smiling up at Mickey. "That's our baby." Another, harder thump to Ian's palm.

"Think he likes hearin' you talk." Mickey said quietly, watching Ian enjoy the small movements from their child. "Gonna be able to see if he really is a boy, today."

"Hey, Jovie, it's Daddy! We can't wait to see you today, sweetie. We love you so much." Ian kissed right over his hand, wishing their child was already here.

 

"Hi, Mister Milkovich, Doctor Gallagher, I'm Anna." Ian had seen the young ultrasound technician around the hospital, but had never spoken to the woman. "You're twenty weeks?" Mickey nodded. "Let's take a look at this little guy or gal, shall we?" Mickey was calmer this time as the gel was applied and the technician tried to locate Jovie. "Here they are! Do Daddies want to know the gender?" A nod from both fathers, completely transfixed on the-now clearly human-fetus on the screen.

"We have a little girl, here!" Anna chirped.

"Jovie's a little girl, baby." Ian rasped out, his eyes tearing up as he saw his daughter appear to stretch. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah she is." Mickey agreed, turning his head to plant a kiss on Ian's lips. Ian was fucking thrilled; he was engaged to the man of his dreams and they were going to have a daughter, soon.

 

Ian realized before he got home that something was wrong; not with Mickey or Jovie-they were both perfect-but someone had been watching him far too closely for his liking. He shook the fear off when he reached the sixth floor of his building and approached the condo he shared with his fiancée. Upon opening the front door, he was met with the smells of spices and a hint of lemon which made his mouth water. "Smells good in here, baby." Ian commented, taking a deep breath through his nose.

"Chicken piccata." Mickey said, turning to greet Ian with a kiss. His boss at the bar had switched Mickey's shifts so he worked days and wouldn't have to lift chairs during his pregnancy to close, so he was now always home at night with Ian. He actually loved being able to cook dinner for his fiancé and talk to him about his day, so he was incredibly thankful to his boss. "Found a recipe online and it said to use this cauliflower rice shit."

"I have time to shower before dinner's done? I smell like a really strange combination of sweat and bleach." Ian joked, grimacing for effect at his own scent.

"Make it quick or I'm eatin' without you; your daughter is fuckin' starving." Mickey said, stirring the rice on the stove.

"Feel sorta bad for callin' her "him" for so long!" Ian called out as he walked towards their bathroom to shower.

"Don't think she understood us, just yet, so it won't bother her!" Mickey replied from his spot at the stove. Ian just shook his head and smirked; how the hell had he gotten lucky enough to find someone like Mickey?

 

Mickey fell asleep not long after dinner, but Ian was still wide awake; this wasn't like one of his manic episodes, however, it was out of fear. He knows someone had been watching him from the time he left the hospital until he arrived home, but he had no idea why. When the idea struck him, it caused a sickening twist in his gut as he dialed his phone.

_"Hello?"_ Lip mumbled in a half-asleep state as he answered his phone.

"I think Caleb hired someone to follow me." Ian rushed out quietly, hoping Mickey hadn't noticed he wasn't in bed, yet.

_"What?"_ Lip sounded much more alert as the question flew from his lips.

"Someone followed me home... Is there anything we can do about it?" Ian didn't want Caleb to get anywhere near Mickey; he was toxic and Mickey didn't need his shit while he was pregnant.

_"Restraining order, maybe... Ian, is there any way you might have told him Mickey was pregnant?"_ Lip asked, obviously fearing something, himself.

"No; I made sure I didn't say anything about the baby. Why?" Ian didn't want to think Caleb might know about Jovie; Jovie and Mickey don't deserve to go through his shit.

_"Ian... You were married when Mickey conceived Jovie. If he knows about him, he could possibly convince a judge you two were in an open marriage and Mickey was acting as a surrogate."_ Lip's words caused Ian to dash to the hallway bathroom and empty his stomach; Caleb could possibly fight for custody of his daughter.  _"Ian? Ian, man, talk to me!"_

"If he goes anywhere near my fuckin' fiancée or our daughter I'll fuckin' kill him!" Ian shouted, feeling tears burning his eyes.

_"I'll do whatever I can to keep him away from... Did you say daughter?"_ Ian forgot he hadn't told Lip they now knew Jovie was a girl.

"Found out today." Ian informed his brother.

_"Okay. Okay, we'll do whatever the fuck we can to keep Caleb away from my niece. Is there anyone at the hospital you don't trust that knows about Jovie?"_ Lip asked, trying to sound professional, but only succeeding in sounding pissed off.

"Trevor, maybe? He's a nice kid but he's a little... Off. I had him do the first ultrasound on Mick." Ian recounted, hoping he was wrong and that Trevor was just socially awkward.

_"You fill out all the correct paper work so he can't claim he was doing you and Caleb a favor?"_ Lip asked seriously.

"Yeah, I did." Ian was thankful for his need for routine making him file every form correctly.

_"I'll have a friend check into some P.Is in the area and another go talk to Trevor. Go to bed with your man, and let me take care of this shit."_ Lip instructed, obviously remembering Ian had the next day off.

"Thanks, Lip." Ian was truly thankful his brother was always there for Mickey, Jovie, and himself. "Call me once you know somethin'." With that, Ian hung up the phone, brushed his teeth, and went to crawl into bed with Mickey for the night. He wouldn't allow Caleb to hurt the man in his arms; he was all the fucking mattered to Ian. Well, him and their daughter.


	8. Praying

The bar Mickey worked in was always rather slow during daylight hours, so his job wasn't too hard; he cleaned, served a couple of drinks here and there, and still had time to look up any questions he came up with for when his daughter arrived in a few short months. He liked working here, but couldn't wait to finish college and get a better paying job. "Hello, I'm looking for... Michaelo Mikolich?" A man in a sharp grey suit asked, completely butchering Mickey's full name.

"Mikhailo Milkovich. And you found him." Mickey said, sliding his cellphone into his pocket with the page about some shit called "Tummy time" still up.

"Mister Milkovich, I represent one Caleb Daniels... I believe you have a sexual relationship with his husband, Ian Daniels?" Mickey wanted to punch this fucker for calling Ian "Ian Daniels" instead of "Ian Gallagher"; Ian had fucking hated being weighted down with Caleb's last name.

"Gallagher; he changed his last name. Should really do your fuckin' research." Mickey said, wiping the bar to keep himself calm.

"Mister Milkovich, Mister Daniels is requesting your presence at the divorce proceedings; he has informed me you were acting as a surrogate for himself and Mister... Gallagher." The man said, causing Mickey to squeeze the rag in his hand. That son of a bitch wanted to take their fucking daughter from them!

"Listen, man-and before you start on a whole fuckin' introduction, I don't give a shit who you are-I'm not a fuckin' surrogate; my child has nothin' to do with Caleb Fuckin' Daniels. I'll fuckin' be there, but I ain't helpin' him in some fucked up mission to take my child from me." Mickey growled, glaring at the man seated at the bar. "So get the fuck outta here, before I get mad. Pregnant or not." The man nodded before bustling out with his tail between his legs.

 

Ian was pissed off to say the least when he'd gotten off the phone with Mickey; Caleb seriously had the fucking balls to try something like this? "Fuck him!" Ian yelled, tossing his phone across the living room of his Condo.

"Ian, he doesn't have shit, here; we'll prove he's lying without a problem." Lip said, trying to calm his brother. "He's not gonna get Jovie."

"He goes near Mickey or Jovie and I'll fuckin' murder him!" Ian roared as he began to pace the living room. "I was gettin' out! I'm fuckin'  _happy,_ now!"

"I know, Ian." Lip said, watching as Ian paced, hands locked in his copper colored locks. "Look, my friend found the P.I. and my paralegal is proof-reading the restraining order as we speak; we'll make sure he can't get close."

"He already did! He sent his fuckin' lawyer to Mickey's job; told him Mickey was our surrogate!" Ian reminded Lip angrily. "Why the fuck can't he just let me go?"

"You're his paycheck, man, if he let's go he's losin' his free ride." Lip reasoned as he stood from the couch, trying to calm Ian down. "I promise you-as your brother, not your lawyer-I won't let that asshole near my niece."

"What're we gonna do?" Ian asked, slumping into the armchair.

"Compile all of the documented proof we have of his abusive behavior, your hospitalizations, photographic evidence of your self harm and... It." Lip refused to talk about Ian's eating disorder; he felt like he'd failed his brother by not noticing until it was too late.

"I have everything." Ian said quietly, clenching and unclenching his fists in an attempt to calm himself down. Ian wished his fiancée was home to help him, he understood why Mickey still wanted to work-respected him for it-but he still needed Mickey. "Can you get my phone?" Ian asked when he heard his phone go off from across the eerily quiet room.

Lip nodded quickly and rushed over to Ian's phone-luckily protected by Gorilla glass and an otter box-and took it back to his brother.

_Mick <3(2:00PM): Everything is gonna be okay, honey. We love you._

_Ian(2:02PM): We?_

_Mick <3(2:03PM): Me and Jovie. You know? Your daughter?_

_Ian(2:04PM): I love you two so much. Gonna do everything I can to keep Caleb away from both of you._

_Mick <3(2:05PM): I know, honey. I'll see you in a little bit, okay?_

_Ian(2:06PM): Okay._

"He's good for you." Lip said softly.

"He's perfect." Ian agreed, trying to smile despite his fears that Caleb could convince a judge that Mickey was a surrogate and get custody of Jovie.

 

When Mickey first realized he had more than just a sexual attraction to Ian, he had been terrified; how would this work with Ian being married to a man who seemed to view Ian as property? But after years of being with Ian, he couldn't imagine a life without his intelligent, charming, beautiful redhead. He could still remember telling his sister about Ian for the first time, and-looking back-he's amazed he didn't realize how strongly he felt towards Ian.

 

_"You fucked a hot doctor?" Mandy asked, smiling far too wide._

_"Still fuckin' him." Mickey said, looking down at the texted he'd received from Ian earlier that day, asking if he could see him. "Name's Ian." He proudly showed Mandy the picture of Ian he'd taken a few weeks ago, smiling broadly at Mickey._

_"Look at those eyes!" Mandy gushed. "Holy shit, Mick! He's beautiful!"_

_"Already know that." Mickey scoffed. "Finally puttin' some weight back on."_

_"Why did he need to?" Mandy asked, still staring at Ian's picture._

_"He's taller than me and might weigh as much as you." Mandy looked up at Mickey with wide eyes as he spoke. "Yeah. His asshole husband thinks he's fuckin' fat."_

_"He's married?" Mandy didn't seem as angry as Mickey would have expected about that._

_"Not happy, obviously, or he wouldn't need me." Mickey pointed out. "Stays with him 'cause he thinks no one wants him."_

_"Poor guy." Mandy sighed. Mickey knew she would understand; she had been in that position, herself._

_"Wanna help him... Don't know why." Mickey admitted quietly._

_"'Cause you're not the asshole you think you are." Mandy said, finally handing Mickey his phone back._

 

"Hey." Mickey said quietly, leaning over Ian where he was laid on their couch. "You okay?"

"Am now." Ian swore. "Missed you."

"Missed you, too." Mickey said, leaning over to kiss Ian.

"Come lay down with me?" Ian begged, holding his arms out.

"Can't fuckin' fit on the couch with you with this in the way." Mickey laughed, placing a hand on his stomach. "Come to bed with me." Ian agreed by standing up and following Mickey to their bedroom. Life was getting harder with Caleb still around, but Ian had Mickey, and that was all he really needed in life.


	9. I Was Here

Ian nervously clutched Mickey's hand under the table in a Judge's chambers three weeks after Caleb's lawyer showed up to the bar, waiting to hear what Caleb would say, and-more importantly-how his very outspoken boyfriend would reply. "Mister Daniels, do you have a contract stating that Mister Milkovich was in fact acting as a surrogate?" The judge asked Caleb, looking over at where Ian and Mickey where sitting, fingers interlocked and staring into one another's eyes.

"I didn't believe we needed it; Ian and I had an open relationship and he became fairly serious with Mister Milkovich. Since neither Ian or myself are Carriers we requested Mister Milkovich carry our child. The child is biologically Ian's, because I am HIV+." Caleb said, lying through his teeth. Ian wanted to jump across the table, but Mickey gripped his hand tighter.

"Mister Milkovich, did you agree to act as a surrogate?" The judge asked Mickey, her kind brown eyes aimed at the heavily pregnant man.

"No, your honor. I have never even met Mister Daniels." Mickey replied honestly.

"Your honor, my client has said he only ever spoke to Mister Milkovich over the phone regarding the surrogacy." Caleb's attorney tried, but the judge did not seem convinced.

"Mister Milkovich?" The judge prompted.

"I have never spoken to Mister Daniels at all, and I am not acting a surrogate; my child was never intended to belong to anyone but Ian and myself." Ian was impressed with how level-headed Mickey was remaining.

"Thank you, Mister Milkovich. Mister Gallagher, can you confirm what Mister Milkovich or Mister Daniels have said?" The judge asked Ian.

"Mickey is telling you the truth, your honor. Caleb and I were not in an open relationship; he told me roughly six years ago-in a very inappropriate way-that he had been having an affair with a woman for four out of the five years we had been married. I was hurt, so I decided to go out for the night and met Mickey working at a bar." Ian admitted to the older woman, squeezing Mickey's hand under the table.

"When did you start a relationship with Mister Milkovich?" The judge asked Ian calmly.

"That night. It felt nice to be with someone without hearing I was worthless, unattractive, or that my disorder was to blame anytime I disagreed with them. I understand that just because my husband was having an affair does not justify me having one, but our marriage was in trouble before then." Ian answered the woman honestly, noting the way she glanced in Caleb's direction.

"How so?" Judge Marten-Ian reminded himself of her name now that he was no longer a nervous wreck-asked Ian, but looked towards Lip.

"We have documented evidence of manipulation, emotional and verbal abuse, and the eating disorder Mister Daniels encouraged in my client, your honor." Lip informed Judge Marten as he passed the folder in front of him that contained text messages, photos of Ian at his smallest, photos of the scars that littered Ian's arms and legs, and pages from Ian's therapy journal to the woman. Judge Marten's dark hands clutched the paper in her hands tight enough Ian was certain it would tear. Ian truly hoped this was a good sign.

"Your honor, this "evidence" could easily have been faked!" Caleb's lawyer exclaimed.

"Mister Daniels, did you order Mister Gallagher to do monthly "weigh-ins" to ensure his weight was what you deemed acceptable?" Judge Marten asked Caleb.

"Yes, your honor, but-" Judge Marten held a hand up to silence Caleb.

"And did you quit your job once Mister Gallagher was hired by the hospital and order him to fund your art career and give you an allowance because "as your husband, he should do anything in his power to make you happy?"" Judge Marten asked as she read.

"Your honor, Ian didn't mind-" Judge Marten turned to look at Caleb, which silenced him, once more. "Yes, your honor."

"Mister Daniels, I have no choice but to believe that Mister Milkovich was not acting as a surrogate for yourself and Mister Gallagher and to refuse your request for custody of the child. We will meet next week to discuss the conditions of the divorce." Judge Marten reasoned, passing the envelope back to Lip. Ian let out a sigh of relief and hugged Mickey; they wouldn't have to give up their daughter to the monster Ian had been foolish enough to marry.

 

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Mickey asked Ian as they ate dinner on their couch, his legs draped over Ian's lap.

"Anything, baby." Ian assured Mickey, taking a bite of the Spring roll in his hand.

"What the hell did you see in him at first?" Mickey asked, shoveling a bite of chicken fried rice with pineapple juice-something Ian thought sounded disgusting, but Mickey's pregnancy cravings made him love-into his mouth.

"Honestly? I was seventeen and workin' illegally as a stripper at a gay club to cover anything my scholarship didn't cover; basically textbooks, food, and my smokes and shit. Anyway, Caleb was twenty-seven and he came into the club I was workin' at, asked for a dance, and eventually asked me out before he left. Most guys at that time only wanted me to suck their dicks, so it was nice to be taken out... Things changed after about two years, though-when I moved in with him-and I wanted out.

"When I tried, he kept tellin' me I was just a used up whore and no one would want me, so I broke and stayed. He didn't even ask me to marry him; he ordered me to, and before I knew it, I was in my late twenties, drastically underweight, cutting myself just to feel okay, and doin' anything he commanded 'cause I was scared of bein' alone. Even after I met you, I was scared you'd walk away if I left him and I'd be alone, so I stayed." Ian felt better saying all of this out loud-he'd never told Mickey the exact reason he was so afraid to leave Caleb-but he also felt guilty; Mickey wasn't Caleb, and wouldn't hurt him.

"I'm not goin' anywhere, Ian." Mickey reassured his fiancé. "Me and Jovie? We ain't goin' anywhere; we're here with you, as long as you want us."

"Want you forever." Ian whispered, turning his head to look into Mickey's pale blue eyes. 

"Then that's what you're gonna get." Mickey replied, smoothing Ian's hair down. "Hair's gettin' kinda long."

"Need to cut it." Ian laughed, enjoying the gentle scrape of Mickey's nails against his scalp.

"I like it; gives me somethin' to pull." Mickey's voice dropped an octave as he pulled Ian's hair just hard enough to make the redheaded man moan. Ian sat their food aside and pulled Mickey into his lap-which only worked because Mickey was sideways instead of straddling Ian's waist the way he would have before his extended abdomen made it nearly impossible-before pulling Mickey down into a fierce, biting kiss. "Enjoyin' this and all, but I need to feed our kid."

"Yeah, okay. Owe me, later." Ian whispered, leaning forward to peck Mickey's lips again before letting the man continue to eat from his spot in his lap. "She's gonna be here pretty soon."

"Kinda scary, huh?" Mickey asked around a mouthful of rice.

"Yeah, but I also can't wait to meet our girl." Ian kept dreaming of what their daughter would look like, and he couldn't wait to hold her. "Glad the judge agreed with us."

"I am, too, man; can't imagine havin' to give her up." Mickey agreed, watching as Ian chewed on a bite of food. "Hope she looks like you."

"No way, she'll look like you; she'll be beautiful." Ian whispered, leaning in enough to nip Mickey's jawline. "Hopefully she acts more like me, though."

"Fuck you, I'm fuckin' delightful." Mickey teased, knowing his personality tended to rub people the wrong way. "Now shut the fuck up and let me eat." Ian laughed softly, but let Mickey finish his dinner in silence. He was well aware the judge had taken their side more based on Caleb's behavior in the past than actual proof, and that they more than likely wouldn't get through the divorce itself that easily, but today was a win. He was going to enjoy the fact that Caleb wouldn't be able to get to his daughter through any legal means.


	10. Like We're Standing Hand In Hand With All Our Fears Upon The Edge

Mickey fucking hated all of this divorce shit Ian was going through, but he was staying right by his fiancè's side through all of it. Ian was a nervous fucking wreck as they sat in Judge Marten's chambers, his leg bouncing and his clammy hand clasped to Mickey's like a lifeline. "Mister Daniels, you are requesting sixty thousand dollars a year in alimony, as well as a weekly allowance of one thousand dollars... This would add up to one hundred and twelve thousand dollars a year, meaning you would receive five hundred and sixty thousand dollars over the five year period you would receive alimony payments from Mister Gallagher... And, I see Mister Gallagher is also willing to hand over possession of the six hundred square foot Condo the two of you lived in and a 2008 Nissan Sentra." Judge Marten said as she looked through the divorce papers Ian had filed and the requests Caleb was making.

"Yes, your honor; all I want is for this marriage to be terminated." Ian replied with a slight squeeze to Mickey's hand. "The car has been kept in perfect condition and the condo is beautiful and in a nice part of town."

"I feel this is fair, however, I must deny the request for the allowance; Mister Gallagher will not be responsible for all of your expenses." Judge Marten said, seemingly set on her choice.

"Your honor, if I may interject, Mister Gallagher purchased a brand new Lexus RX 350 in 2013; my client would like to request he receive the Lexus instead of the Sentra." Caleb's Weasley ass lawyer said, making Ian wish he could punch the shit out of this asshole.

"Your honor, as my client said, the Nissan is in perfect condition, I have photos to-" Judge Marten held up a hand to stop Lip, but took the pictures non the less. The car was-as Ian and Lip had said-in great condition; the soft, mint green paint didn't have a single scratch, the black leather interior was flawless, and the dash looked brand new.

"I see no problems with this vehicle, Mister Daniels. Do you have Photos of the Lexus in question, councilor?" Judge Marten asked, looking through the photos of Ian's beautiful burgundy SUV, next. Just like the Nissan, this car was perfectly taken care of, and had not a scratch on the exterior or the beige leather interior. "Mister Daniels, the Sentra is fine, so I rule Mister Gallagher keep the Lexus." Mickey was so relieved; he could remember the pride in Ian's face when he was promoted shortly after they started dating and he bought the Lexus for himself.

"I am also giving you a three month period to find employment or your alimony will decrease." Judge Marten ordered. "I believe we are done here, gentlemen; all I need is for Mister Daniels to sign." With a simple signature, everything was over; Ian was no longer married to Caleb Daniels.

 

"Harder." Mickey begged in a broken moan, canting his hips the best he could as Ian fucked him in the spoon position in their bed later that night. "Fuck, Ian! Fuck me harder!" He babbled, feeling his orgasm teetering right on the edge. Despite being constantly sore, having gained nearly twenty pounds, and feeling like-even after a full night's sleep-he hadn't slept in months, he couldn't get enough of Ian, these days.

"Cum for me, baby." Ian commanded as he drilled into Mickey as fast and hard as he could in this position, stroking Mickey's hard cock in sync with his thrusts. Mickey couldn't even deny the cry of pleasure as his cum covered Ian's hand and part of his own stomach. "Shit!" Ian gasped, rocking into Mickey as his own orgasm hit, moving his hips slowly to fuck them through the aftershocks of pleasure.

"Holy shit." Mickey panted, lifting their intertwined hands to kiss Ian's knuckles. "You're free, honey."

"Always was with you." Ian panted out, placing feather light kisses on Mickey's pale shoulders. "God, I fuckin' love you."

"Don't get sappy on me." Mickey joked. "Love you, too."

"Now who's sappy?" Ian laughed softly. "Gonna marry you as soon as Jovie gets here."

"Oh yeah?" Mickey asked as he traced the freckles on Ian's sweaty arm into abstract patterns.

"Uhmhum; get our baby girl a cute dress and take a shit tone of pictures of her and her daddies on their wedding day. Then we'll come home with our princess and live happily ever after." Ian hummed happily, placing another kiss on a small cluster of barely-there freckles on Mickey's shoulder blade.

"Sounds nice... What's gonna happen with that Travis dude? Lip's guy confirmed he told Caleb shit about the baby." Mickey reminded Ian quietly-not wanting to interrupt their happy moment with facts-as Ian finally removed his softening cock from Mickey's pliant body.

"Since you were registered as a patient and he's not family or an emergency contact he could lose his medical license." Ian sounded remorseful, but Trevor's-Mickey finally remembered-actions were not on Ian; he had made that choice on his own. "Has a disciplinary meeting with Marshall on Monday, until then he's suspended."

"Hey, you didn't do this; you didn't do shit to the kid." Mickey soothed. "You're a good fuckin' person and a good fuckin' doctor."

"Thank you, baby." Ian whispered softly into Mickey's neck. "Get some sleep; goin' baby shoppin' tomorrow."

"Fuckin' joy." Mickey snarked. "Night, honey."

"Night, baby. Night, Jovie." Ian whispered, feeling free and happy in his life with Mickey and their baby girl; things were looking up for Ian for the first real time in years.


	11. A New Day

On April 24th 2018 Jovie Tate Gallagher joined her parents. The little girl weighed in at six pounds even, measured nineteen inches long, and had a light dusting of black hair on her little head. Mickey was-understandably-exhausted and fell asleep once he was back in his hospital room, but Ian sat quietly in a chair by his fiancée's bed holding his daughter, wrapped in the receiving blanket Ian had hidden Mickey's engagement ring in, completely amazed by the sweet little girl. Her skin was as light as Mickey's own, her eyes appeared to be a mixture of blue and green at the moment-though Ian was sure they would eventually become a shade of green similar to his own-her chin was shaped like his, but the rest of her bone structure clearly came from Mickey, and she had Mickey's full lips.

Ian found himself repeatedly counting her ten small fingers and ten little toes, smiling down at the little beauty mark on the side of her right hand near pinky finger and the birthmark-that Ian thought resembled the state of Illinois-on her left ankle. "You're so beautiful, Jovie." He whispered to his daughter, kissing her nose lightly. "Daddy loves you so much, baby girl."

"Ever gonna let me hold my daughter?" Mickey groggily asked, sitting up to the best of his ability so he could hold Jovie. Ian happily passed her to her other father, watching on in wonder as Mickey muttered something in Ukrainian to their new born. "Pryvit moya krasyva divchyna; YA tviy papa. YA lyublyu tebe tak sylʹno, kokhana. Papa zavzhdy bude lyubyty tebe." Though Ian had no idea what Mickey had said to their daughter, he thought it sounded beautiful on the brunette man's tongue.

"She's so fuckin' perfect, baby." Ian breathed, watching Jovie let out a tiny yawn.

"Looks more like me than you." Mickey replied. Though he wished their daughter looked more like his breath taking redheaded fiancé, he felt so much love for this little girl he felt like his heart may well explode. "She's so beautiful, though... How the hell is she this beautiful?"

"Because she looks like her Papa." Ian said, tracing Jovie's jawline with his index finger. "People wanna meet her, but I thought we should have a little time alone with our girl, first."

"Go get 'em; just Mandy and your crazy ass family, anyway." Mickey ordered, lifting Jovie's hand to make her wave at her father as he exited the room with an adoring smile on his face.

 

"She's precious!" Debbie gasped at the look of the small baby asleep in Fiona's arms as she held her own daughter on her hip.

"She's so tiny, mama!" Franny whispered, softly touching Jovie's arm.

"She's beautiful, man." Lip said, hugging his brother. "Did good, Mick."

"Hurt like a bitch, man." Mickey muttered into Ian's side.

"She's cuter than Liam was; he was a cute fuckin' baby." Carl complimented, taking Jovie from Fiona when she offered the child to him.

"She really is beautiful, guys." Fiona said, hugging both men.

"Thanks, Fi." Ian said softly. "What do think, Monkey man?" Ian asked Liam as he sat off to the side silently resting in Mandy's lap. At only six, Liam was much younger than his siblings, and came to live with Fiona after Monica lost custody when she left her cocaine out for the then one year-old boy to get. He had since fallen into a strange state where he would only speak one to two words when asked a question and hated crowds. Ian assumed he may actually have a form of autism-which would have been hard to detect when Monica still had him-but he never mentioned it in front of the quiet boy.

"She's very pretty, Ian." That shocked Ian; Liam had actually said more than two words. "Can I hold her?" Before Ian could squeal in happiness Mickey answered for him.

"Sure, Monkey man; come sit up here with me and Ian." Mickey said, moving enough to smile at the youngest Gallagher. Ian fucking loved this man; Mickey was so good with his younger brother, and always made sure Liam felt included. Ian helped the boy-far too small for his age-on to the bed and watched Carl hand him the baby once Mickey helped him get his arms in the right position.

"Swear, Mick, you need to change your major; you would be an awesome teacher." Mandy said once she no longer had a child in her lap.

"Nah, I'll stick to hangin' out with Monkey man, Pumpkin, and baby girl." Mickey joked, watching as Liam leaned over to kiss Jovie's forehead. "You gonna help us out with Jovie?" Liam just nodded in response.

"Can't believe how perfect she is... You did a really good, Mick." Mandy complimented.

"Thanks." Mickey replied, still watching Liam affectionately hum and kiss Jovie. "You and Uncle Liam gonna be best friends, doroha?"

"What does that mean?" Ian asked, thinking the nickname sounded cute.

"Darling." Mandy answered for her brother. "Mom used to call me doroha; called Mick mysha."

"Means mouse; she thought it was funny or some shit." Mickey grumbled.

"Your mom called you "mouse?"" Carl asked in a laugh.

"My brothers called me "Mickey" instead of "Mikhailo", are you really surprised someone called me mouse?" Mickey asked Ian's other brother as Liam rested his head on Mickey's shoulder.

"Man, I'm totally calling you mysha from now on." Lip chuckled.

"Shut up, assholes, it's cute!" Debbie chastised. "So you're callin' her doroha?"

"Felt right." Mickey replied with a shrug.

"I like it." Liam said softly.

"Guess that means Jovie's nickname is doroha." Fiona declared, making the whole family chuckle and nod in agreement.

 

"Is your Mom still alive?" Mickey asked after everyone else had left him and Ian alone with their daughter for the night. He had never met Monica Gallagher, but he knew she had been alive six years ago-when he'd first met Ian-and had lost her rights to her only child under the age of eighteen.

"As far as I know; never had much interest in seein' her." Ian admitted, laying Jovie in the small bassinet the nurses had placed in Mickey's hospital room.

"Don't you think she should know she's got a grandkid?" Mickey asked his fiancé as he moved back to his chair.

"She's... She's not a good person, Mick; she'd wind up doin' somethin' to hurt Jovie and I ain't gonna let that happen." Ian said with determination.

"Get in touch with her, Ian... For me? I just think Jovie should have one grandparent." Mickey had no idea what he was asking, and Ian was trying to think of an excuse as Mickey fell asleep for the night, still exhausted from giving birth to their beautiful daughter. Ian would fucking kill the whole world before allowing anyone to hurt Jovie or Mickey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> "Pryvit moya krasyva divchyna; YA tviy papa. YA lyublyu tebe tak sylʹno, kokhana. Papa zavzhdy bude lyubyty tebe."-Hello my beautiful girl; I'm your papa. I love you so much, sweetheart. Papa will always love you.  
> "doroha"-Darling  
> "mysha"-Mouse


	12. Coming Home

Ian was so fucking in love with his daughter it was unreal; Jovie was only three days old, and she had Ian wrapped around her little finger. He smiled down at the little girl in his arms, completely ready to go home with her fathers. Debbie had bought her the little ice blue gown with ivory lace around the cuffs of the sleeves and hem of the gown and a small strip of lace coming off the collar with three little wooden buttons, as well as the ivory lace headband with a lace flower Mickey had dressed their baby in to go home before passing her off to Ian so he could get himself dressed; Ian was positive no baby on the planet had ever been as perfect as Jovie. "Look how pretty you are, sweetie! You are the most beautiful little girl on earth!" Ian cooed to his daughter as she stared up at him.

"Damn right she is." Mickey commented as he exited the small bathroom of his hospital room, completely dressed in a pair of baggy jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, and a Superman baseball cap on his head.  "My baby girl's the prettiest girl ever!" Mickey cooed in a very uncharacteristically giddy manner.

"My girl, too." Ian pointed out, watching Mickey slide the tiny white socks onto Jovie's feet. "Ready to start our lives with her?"

"Been ready since I found out I was fuckin' pregnant." Mickey answered honestly as he kissed Jovie's hand. "Get her in her car seat so we can get the hell outta here." Mickey ordered, taking Jovie gently into his arms so Ian could get her grey and white chevron printed car seat, laying the girl softly inside, smiling at how content the infant seemed as she was buckled up to go home for the first time.

 

"How long do you think she'll stay this quiet?" Ian asked his fiancée as they watched their daughter sleep in her bassinet-dressed in grey zip-up footie pajamas with little white clouds, grey mittens with teddy bear faces on them, and a grey cap with a teddy bear face-with her little nose scrunched up. The family had been home for just over eight hours, and Jovie hadn't cried; she'd make small whimpering noises when she was hungry or needed changed, but that was it.

"No idea; not gonna complain about it, though." Mickey yawned, laying down in their bed. "Figured she'd scream her fuckin' head off the whole night."

"You can get some sleep, love; I'll handle Joey when she wakes up." Ian whispered to his fiancée as Mickey's eyes started to drift closed.

"Joey?" Mickey asked in a muttered voice.

"It's cute, so fuck you!" Ian laughed quietly, trying not to wake Jovie. "Besides, I butchered the Ukrainian nickname you gave her."

"Whatever." Mickey yawned. "Kiss me goodnight." Ian obliged, leaning over to place a soft, chaste peck on Mickey's full lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too, handsome." Ian whispered to the beautiful brunette man as he fell asleep. Ian was soon left to his own thoughts; should he contact Monica just as Mickey had requested? Should he allow the woman who had done nothing but hurt, abandon, and disappoint her children for over thirty years around his daughter and fiancée? He knew Monica was always bad news, but-sadly-he would do anything to make Mickey happy. With a sigh, Ian decided to send his mother an e-mail and hope he could convince her to stay away.

_"From: Iangallagher33_

_To: monicajgallagher68_

_Subject: update_

_"Hey Mom. I know we haven't talked in a long time, but I thought I should give you some updates. I got a divorce-I know you liked Caleb, but that's over-and I met someone. We just had a daughter, Mom; her name is Jovie and she's absolutely beautiful._

_I love you, mom, and if you want I'll send you pictures of Jovie, but unless I know for sure that you're taking care of yourself I can't let you around her. I'm sorry, and I love you. Get in touch, sometime."_

"Shhh, Daddy's got you, Joey." Ian whispered, lifting the squirming infant and carrying her out of the room and into the living room. Her diaper was dry, so Ian fixed her a bottle before taking a seat on the couch and watching his daughter happily consume her formula. "That good, pretty girl?" He cooed to the baby resting in the crook of his arm, guzzling down her bottle.

"You're definitely your Papa's daughter; love your food." Ian chuckled, removing the empty bottle from Jovie's mouth and burping her as softly as he could. "There we go, baby girl." Ian praised as Jovie let out a decent belch. He loved this girl so much; she looked exactly like Mickey, and he couldn't get over just how beautiful their daughter was. "You're so beautiful, baby girl."

Ian rocked his baby girl gently, watching her eyes flutter shut and feeling his heart swelling as he watched Jovie fall asleep in his arms, unwilling to put her down, just yet; six pounds wasn't too heavy to hold for awhile, anyway.

 


	13. That's Why I Wrote This Song To Sing, My Beautiful Girl

_"From: Monicajgallagher68_

_To: Iangallagher33_

_Subject: Re: Updates_

_I'm a grandma? When do I get to meet her?! I wanna see my grandbaby! I'll be in Chicago this week; meet me at that diner across from the old Laundromat we used to go to when you were a kid on Saturday! Bring Caleb! Love you, baby."_

Typical fucking Monica; she skimmed through, and found the parts of the e-mail she wanted to read. Ian let out a discouraged sigh and looked over at where Mickey was humming something to Jovie as she reached her small hands up towards his face. What kind of shit would Monica say if she did meet Mickey? What would she say when she saw Jovie? Would she love Mickey and Jovie the way the rest of his family did?

"What's up, Gallagher?" Mickey asked without looking away from Jovie's face. Ian felt some of the tension leave his body as he watched his fiancée playfully nibble on their daughter's chubby little fingers. If Monica didn't love these two, fuck her; Mickey and Jovie were perfect.

"What were you singin'?" Ian asked, dodging Mickey's question for the time being.

"Some song I heard on Pandora; had it on some singer/songwriter shit one day when she wouldn't stop kickin' and she seemed to like it... Think it's called "The Girl" or some shit like that." Mickey admitted, seemingly embarrassed that he'd played music for their-then-unborn daughter to calm her down when she was restless. Ian looked the title Mickey had given him up on YouTube and started the first suggestion that popped up.

_"I wish I could do better by you, 'Cause that's what you deserve. You sacrifice so much of your life, In order for this to work. While I'm off chasing my own dreams, Sailing around the world, Please, know that I'm yours to keep, My beautiful girl. When you cry a piece of my heart dies, Knowing that I may have been the cause. If you were to leave, fulfill someone else's dreams, I think I might totally be lost._

_"You don't ask for no diamond rings, No delicate string of pearls, That's why I wrote this song to sing, My beautiful girl. Oh, oh, oh, oh, One, two, one, two, three, four. I wish I could do better by you, 'Cause it's what you deserve. You sacrifice so much of your life, In order for this to work. While I'm off chasing my own dreams, Sailing around the world, Please, know that I'm yours to keep, My beautiful girl._

_"And when you cry a piece of my heart dies, Knowing that I may have been the cause. If you were to leave and fulfill someone else's dreams, I think I might totally be lost. But you don't ask for no diamond rings, No delicate string of pearls, That's why I wrote this song to sing, My beautiful girl. Oh, oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh._

_"But you don't ask for no diamond rings, No delicate string of pearls, That's why I wrote this song to sing, My beautiful girl."_ Between the melodic voice of the man singing and a sweet, upbeat lyrics, Ian could understand why Jovie had seemed calmer after hearing this song.

"She's got good taste in music." Ian commented, allowing Jovie to clutch his index finger. "My mom wants to meet Joey."

"Thought you said you told her you'd send pictures?" Mickey stated as more of a question, smirking when Jovie scrunched her nose as she yawned.

"I did... She only ever sees-or hears, for that matter-what she wants to; she read that I have a daughter, but nothing else." Ian relayed to his fiancée, who was humming again as he rocked Jovie in his arms. "Didn't even read that I divorced Caleb."

"Sounds like a fuckin' delight." Mickey sarcastically drawled.

"You have no idea." Ian sighed. "Goodnight, pretty girl." He whispered, kissing Jovie's nose. "I'll put her to bed; you can take a shower while I make dinner."

"God, I love you." Mickey moaned, kissing Ian as they parted ways with Ian going to Jovie's room with the sleeping infant in his arms and Mickey walking to their en suite bathroom to take a shower.

 

"Thought the whole new baby thing was gonna be a lot harder." Mickey whispered to Ian as the curled up together on the couch with a movie playing quietly in the background.

"Might be once she gets a little more mobile." Ian said, staring down at where Mickey was laying on his chest. "Right now she's just enjoyin' her Daddies holdin' her and bein' the center of attention."

"She's such a sweet baby." Mickey whispered lovingly. "I love her so fuckin' much, man." Ian felt his heart speed up when he heard his fiancée talk about how much he loved their daughter. Ian knew how horrid Monica could be, but he would protect Mickey and Jovie from the fucking world; would burn the world to the fucking ground for the two of them, and watch it burn without regret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The Girl" by City And Colour is an amazing song and I fucking love it! Leave me some comments to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Much love!


	14. Say Something Awful, As If Fucking The World Is Your Right

Mickey was a nervous wreck as he sat across from Ian at the small diner-the one Fiona now owned, though he doubted Monica was aware of that-with his daughter in his arms. Jovie looked absolutely precious-she was wearing a tank top brick red onesie with a beige balloon on the stomach and a beige button on each shoulder, a pair of grey knit shorts, a grey and beige pom-pom bib, a beige cable knit headband with a little bow off to the right side, and a pair of braided leather sandals-but Mickey couldn't focus on that; he was too nervous that Monica wouldn't love her the way they did. "Hey, guys!" Fiona greeted, taking a seat next to Mickey.

"Hey, Fi." Ian greeted, watching his sister take his daughter from his fiancée.

"Hi, beautiful girl! How is Aunty Fi's favorite girl?" She cooed to the baby in her arms. "I swear, Mick, if it wasn't for the eyes she'd look just like you."

"That a good thing or a bad thing?" Mickey asked in a teasing manner. He loved his fiancé's siblings-Fiona arguably the most, considering she was the first to warm up to him-and could easily joke with them.

"Good; she's so pretty it's unreal. Aren't you little princess?" Fiona couldn't take her eyes off of Jovie, and Mickey couldn't blame her; the baby was so perfect in every way, even if Mickey wished she looked more like Ian.

"Ian!" A blonde woman screamed, running over to their table to hug the rigid redhead. Mickey knew this was Monica, because he had seen an almost identical face her her second youngest son. Mickey knew all of the Monica's children thought Ian looked exactly like his mother, but Carl looked much more like her; the same nose, smile, and wavy hair-though Carl's was a warm, medium brown color-and the same green eyes Carl and Ian-as well as Jovie-possessed.

"I'm on break, so I'll stay here with you guys." Fiona whispered to Mickey.

"Thank you." Mickey replied just as quietly. Jovie let out a little whimper, letting everyone know she wanted to be the center of attention, again. 

"Is that my grandbaby?" Monica excitedly asked, holding her arms out towards Fiona, though Ian shook his head. Fiona stood up and handed Jovie to Ian over Monica's head, giving Monica a chance to look at Mickey for the first time. "Fiona, introduce me to your boyfriend! He's a looker!"

"Monica, this is Mickey... My fiancée." Ian said proudly, smiling at Mickey from across the table. "And this, is our daughter Jovie."

"What? Where is Caleb? You two were so happy together!" Fiona and Mickey both scoffed at Monica's words, because no, Ian wasn't happy with the motherfucker who had abused him for years.

"No I wasn't." Ian replied as if reading his sister and fiancée's minds. "I was miserable. I'm happy, now."

"You always looked so happy!" Monica screeched, causing Jovie to whimper.

"You mean when he was starvin' himself? Or when he was cuttin' himself? Maybe when he tried to kill himself?" Fiona asked, glaring at her mother. "Mick's good for him." Mickey loved this woman; Fiona was so dedicated to her family it was unreal.

"Fiona-" Fiona shook her head, looking over at Ian.

"I'm proud of you, Ian." Fiona said, seemingly giving Ian back some of his confidence. Mickey knew Ian would have a hard time with this, so he wasn't angry, but he wished this was a man so he could fucking throttle the person hurting his Ian.

"Thanks, Fi. Monica... I told you in my e-mail about the divorce-told you I would send you pictures of Jovie-but all you read was that I have a daughter. So here she is." Ian said calmly, proudly showing Jovie off. "She was a week old on Tuesday."

"She doesn't look like you." Monica said, though Ian didn't seem at all upset.

"No, she looks like Mickey; got my eyes, though." Ian said, caressing Jovie's cheek softly. "Hey, pretty girl; this is Daddy's mom." Ian-from the moment he found out Mickey was pregnant-had always talked to Jovie constantly, and it always made Mickey smile when he saw the man he loved so much talking to their daughter.

"Are you even sure she's yours? I mean, I doubt he was a virgin." That pissed Mickey the fuck off; he had a few guys he'd slept with before Ian, but he'd been fucking loyal to Ian since the night they fucking met! "And she looks nothing like you, baby! For all you know he's got you raisin' some other guy's kid!"

"She's my daughter, Monica; Mickey's not a piece of shit like Caleb; he wouldn't cheated on me like Caleb did." Ian said with an icy glare aimed at the woman to his left. "Look, I know you liked Caleb, but he's not in my fuckin' life, anymore."

"He was so good for you, Ian; you looked healthier, then." Monica tried, angering Mickey further.

"He looked healthier? Did you not just fuckin' hear Fiona say he was starvin' himself?" Mickey demanded, sending his own glare towards the woman.

"He looked good!" Monica yelled, actually making Jovie cry. This had Ian looking completely shocked, since their daughter had only ever really cried when she was first born.

"No I didn't. Mick, take Joey; we're leavin'." Ian handed the crying infant to Mickey as he and Fiona stood up before he climbed over the table, grabbed Jovie's belonging, and followed his fiancée out of the diner, only stopping to peck Fiona on the cheek.

 

"I didn't think it would be that bad; didn't think Fiona and I would be that bad." Ian apologized as Mickey bathed Jovie in her little blue bathtub.

"You two were defendin' me-and yourself-so you got nothin' to apologize for." Mickey said, being careful as he washed Jovie's stomach.

"Feel like it was too much for you two." Ian sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Hate that Jovie started cryin' because of her."

"She's a baby; she's bound to cry from time to time." Mickey replied, smirking at how content Jovie was in her bath. "You like this, don't you, sweetie?"

"I remember when Franny was a baby she screamed any time Debbie tried to bath her." Ian said, moving to get Jovie's strawberry hooded towel, diaper, and pajamas ready.

"Jovie likes her bath time, don't you, baby girl?" Mickey said as he carefully picked their daughter up and placed her on the counter in her towel, drying her softly.

"Did you have a nice bath, Joey?" Ian asked the girl, helping Mickey dry Jovie's skin. "Turned the thermostat down, already." Ian informed his Fiancée as the man fastened the diaper on the infant. Over the past week and a half, they had learned that Jovie preferred to sleep in a cool room, dressed in a onesie, a sleep gown, a cap, mittens, and socks more than a warmer room with less clothing, for some reason.

"Thank you, honey." Mickey replied as he slipped a simple white onesie on Jovie and kissing Ian's cheek. Ian took over dressing Jovie as Mickey emptied her bathtub, dried it out, and sat it to the side of the full-sized bathtub. Ian slipped a white sleep gown with turquoise, pink, and purple peacock feathers emblazoned on it, a matching cap, white mittens-which Ian had explained to Mickey were to keep Jovie from scratching herself in her sleep-and a pair of tiny white socks with baby pink Mary Janes on them.

"How the hell do you look so beautiful in everything, Jovie Tate?" Ian playfully asked his daughter as he picked her up, kissing her pudgy cheek. "We made the most gorgeous fuckin' baby in the world, baby."

"Yeah, we did." Mickey agreed, watching Ian rock Jovie to sleep with an adoring smile. "She's gonna be so fuckin' spoiled, man."

"Of course she is! Our girl has two daddies who grew up with shitty parents and absolutely nothing of our own, and we wanna give her everything." Ian scoffed, barely glancing away from Jovie.

"Not sayin' it's a bad thing, but we're gonna have one spoiled kid on our hands when she gets older." Mickey chuckled right as Jovie's pretty little green eyes fell closed. "Ian... You know I'd never cheat on you, right?"

"I know, baby. And I know Jovie is my daughter-I never have and never will doubt that-so don't fuckin' listen to Monica's bullshit." Ian softly reassured Mickey, shifting Jovie in his arms. "I'm gonna put her to bed, okay?" Mickey nodded and Ian exited the bathroom to put Jovie to bed.

Mickey was concerned that Monica's words would effect the way Ian felt about Jovie-though Mickey hadn't slept with anyone else for over six years, and knew Ian was Jovie's father without a doubt-because Ian had been close to his mother before the incident with Liam; she was the first person he'd confided his abuse to, and Mickey remembered the anger he felt when Ian had told him Monica had  _defended_ Caleb, telling Ian he was over-reacting. She had even told Ian he looked  _better_ after losing the weight, so Ian had cut off contact with her after meeting Mickey. The brunette man knew Monica had hurt him, but Monica was still his mother. So, would he start to doubt Mickey because of her?

Mickey ignored the scared thoughts as he slipped into bed with his fiancé, just enjoying Ian holding him as they slept.


	15. Walking Like A One Man Army, Fighting With The Shadows In Your Head

Ian was awake early-or, rather hadn't slept at all-so he decided to go to the gym in their building to work off some frustration and energy. Ian was currently throwing punches at a punching bag, breathing heavily from that exertion, as well as the ten miles he'd run on the treadmill twenty minutes ago. He'd been a mess since seeing Monica two weeks ago, and it was starting to truly fuck with his head; she had doubted his daughter was his, had insulted his fiancée, and had said he looked better when he was still dealing with his eating disorder! He couldn't fucking believe his mother couldn't just love Mickey and Jovie; the rest of his family did! When his phone pinged-signaling he had a text message-Ian stopped his workout to check his phone.

_Mick <3(7:30AM): Hey, where are you?_

_Ian(7:32AM): Gym; woke up early but didn't wanna wake you up. Is Jovie already awake?_

_Mick <3(7:33AM): Yeah, she woke up hungry. You comin' home?_

_Ian(7:34AM): Be up in a little bit. Give Baby Girl a kiss for me._

_Mick <3(7:38AM): [multimedia attachment] She's a fuckin' ham._

Ian chuckled at the picture of his daughter looking up at the camera with wide, bright green eyes. Jovie was such an adorable baby Ian sometimes found himself wondering how he could possible have been involved in creating her. She was truly the most amazing thing Ian had ever done; graduating high school as the valedictorian, getting a full academic scholarship, graduating collage with a 4.5 GPA, graduating medical school, and becoming the resident supervisor at the hospital all paled in comparison to being the father of this perfect, one month old girl.

 

"Hey, babies!" Ian called out as he entered their condo, finding Mickey sitting on the floor in front of Jovie as he exercised her legs. "That's my girl!" Ian said, kneeling behind Jovie's head and leaning over to kiss her nose. "Feel the burn!" Jovie made small gurgling noises that made Ian and Mickey both chuckle.

"Ian... You okay? You're not... Not feelin' manic, are you?" Mickey awkwardly asked. Ian felt awful; he knew Mickey worried about him because he loved him, and he knew he had to notice Ian only slept every other night. That wasn't because of Mania, however, it was because he was having terrible nightmares that Monica helped Caleb gain custody of his daughter to get back at him for divorcing the man she liked so much.

"No, baby... I'm just... Monica liked Caleb a lot, right? And I keep havin' this dream that she helps him take Jovie from us, so I've been stayin' hyped up on caffeine to keep myself from sleepin'." Ian admitted to his finacée, keeping his eyes on the baby laying in the floor between them.

"Hey, no one is takin' our baby from us, okay?" Mickey sounded so adamant that Ian had to believe him; he knew Mickey didn't want to lose their daughter any more than him, so he trusted the brunette. "Honey, you gotta sleep; you really wanna go through the first few months of Jovie's life in a caffeine-fueled haze?"

"No." Ian chuckled, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I just... I get so scared thinkin' Monica could pull some shit; I love Jovie too much to lose her, Mick."

"I do too, Ian, so you gotta trust me when I say we're not gonna lose our daughter. Go take a shower and a nap, and we'll spend the rest of your last day off with our girl." Ian nodded his agreement to Mickey's command and stood up to walk to their bedroom.


	16. Your Heart Is All I Own, And In Your Eyes They're Holding Mine

Ian's therapist-as well as his very supportive Fiancée-had helped him cope with his fears of Monica going through a convoluted plan to take Jovie away from him and Mickey. He was now doing much better, though he still wasn't fond of leaving his fiancée and daughter alone while he was working. "We're fine, Ian." Mickey tried to reassure Ian as he got ready to leave for the hospital.

"Just don't like leavin' you two." Ian sighed as he pulled his scrub top over his head. "Wish I could stay home a few more days."

"Ian, me and Jovie are gonna be fine." Mickey reiterated, wrapping his toned arms loosely around Ian's neck. "Want us to bring you lunch, later?"

"Please; I wanna show off my babies." Ian replied, pecking Mickey's full lips. "Love you."

"Love you, too." Mickey whispered before planting another soft kiss on Ian's lips and ushering the handsome redhead out of the condo.

 

"Are we gonna get to see baby Gallagher, anytime soon?" Louise asked as Ian picked up several files for his day as the acting emergency room physician.

"Mickey's bringin' her by later." Ian chuckled, flipping through the files in his hands. "She's a little attention hog, though."

"I think we can handle her." Louise laughed softly. "How're you two doin' with a new baby at home?"

"She's pretty calm-never even cries-so we've had it easy with the little princess. Like I said, though; she always wants to be the center of attention." Ian replied, looking at the file for his next patient. "I'll make sure we bring her by so you can meet her."

"You better; wanna see my handsome guy." Louise replied with a wink as Ian turned to walk away.

"No tryin' to steal my guy, Lou; he's my baby." Ian called back as he walked towards the bed his patient was in. He checked over the information he was given one last time before he went in.

_**Name: Webb, Jean M.** _

_**Gender: F** _

_**Birthdate: November 30th 1968** _

_**Address: Unlisted** _

_**Blood Type: O neg.** _

_**Allergies: None** _

_**Emergency contact: Unlisted** _

_**Phone Number: Unlisted** _

**_Preexisting Conditions: None_ **

**_Insurance Provider: Unlisted_ **

_**Reason For Visit: Fall resulting in lacerations to the left side of the body.** _

This should be fun for Ian; this woman gave up almost no information for hospital officials, so he doubted she would talk to him. He let out an almost silent sigh before opening the curtain. "Good morning, Miss Webb, I'm Doctor Gallagher. I see here you had a nasty fall?" Ian hadn't looked up at his patient as he slipped on a pair of gloves.

"Hi, baby!" Ian snapped his head around to face the woman who had given birth to him as she laid on a hospital bed in a paper gown With blood on her leg and arm.

"Jean Webb?" Ian asked calmly, moving to examine what he had assumed would be a few deep cuts, but turned out to simply be several scrapes. "I'll clean this up and apply some bandages, but you really didn't need to come to the hospital for this." Ian set to work, cleaning and covering the scrapes on Monica's arm and leg before placing gauze pads and medical tape over them. "All done."

"Ian, baby, I wanted to see you! I miss my baby boy!" Monica shrieked as Ian removed his gloves and made a note on Monica's admission form.

"Your "baby boy" was Liam, and you lost him. A nurse will be in, soon with your discharge papers. Have a nice day, Miss Webb." With that, Ian walked out, feeling a trembling seeping down to his bones, but otherwise feeling fine.

 

"Hey, my babies!" Ian cooed as he entered his office as Mickey fed Jovie a bottle. "Daddy missed his girl." He sighed, pressing a kiss to Jovie's forehead, just below the sequenced gold bow she wore to match her sequenced gold shorts and cream tank top onesie with gold pineapples embellished on it. "And his original baby." Ian leaned in to kiss Mickey's soft, full lips.

"Missed you, too." Mickey responded with a warm smile.

"She bein' good for her Papa today?" Ian asked as he took a seat across from Mickey and Jovie to eat his own lunch.

"Always is; think she was tryin' to smile today." Mickey informed his fiancé as he took the empty bottle from Jovie to burp the wiggling infant. "You okay?" Mickey asked, seeing how nervous Ian looked.

"Monica came to the ER." Ian admitted, looking down at the salad in front of him.

"Fuck." Mickey sighed, moving Jovie to slightly sit up in the crook of his arm. "What did she say?"

"That she misses me; misses her "baby boy" and that pissed me the fuck off! She doesn't give a shit about Lip, Carl, Liam, or even Fiona and Debbie, but me? She acts like we were fuckin' close or some shit and we never were." Ian explained, taking a bite of his food as Mickey did the same. "I couldn't leave you like she did Frank and I sure as fuck couldn't walk away from Joey."

"I know that, honey." Mickey said with a nod as he adjusted Jovie. Without saying a word, Ian stood up and took Jovie into his arms. "Thanks. Anyway, don't worry about fuckin' Monica, Ian; you got your brothers, sisters, Franny, Jovie, and you got me. You don't need her shit."

"I know, baby. She just... She's my mom, you know? I wanted her to love Jovie-to love  _you-_ but she just let me down, again." Ian said, looking down at his stunningly beautiful baby girl. How the hell could anyone not love this little girl? She was so perfect; that coal black hair that seemed to get thicker by the day, that icy pale skin, her perfectly straight nose and full lips that were perfect replicas of Mickey, and the chin and those green eyes that matched Ian's own. Ian still had a hard time leaving her for the day, even two weeks after returning to work, and he would never get over how much he could love this one little person.

"Hey, her loss, right? We made a pretty great fuckin' kid, and Jovie ain't gonna miss out on shit not havin' Monica around." Mickey said as Ian looked up, his inhumanly blue eyes clashing with Ian's vibrant green ones. "Your family loves you; your siblings, niece, Jovie and me? We all fuckin' love you." Ian nodded, but kept his eyes locked on those beautiful baby blues he'd always felt so safe staring into. He didn't fucking need Monica; his family-his fiancée included-were there for him in a way Monica never was.


	17. I'm Just In Love

Jovie was laughing and smiling all the time now, which was quite possibly Ian's favorite sound and sight in the world; he adored seeing the sweet, gummy smile on his daughter's face and hearing that high-pitched, happy laugh. The baby was still a calm, happy baby who never cried, but she now made more sound with her little babbling noises and laughter. "Someone's a happy girl!" Ian cooed as he dressed Jovie while Mickey got himself ready to head over to Fiona's house for a birthday dinner his sister insisted on throwing Ian. He didn't consider thirty-three a birthday to celebrate, but he was also excited to share his birthday with his entire family; his fiancée and daughter, in particular. "Daddy's little girl is such a happy baby, isn't she?"

"What's she laughin' at?" Mickey asked as he exited the bathroom.

"Think she's makin' fun of her Daddy for havin' red hair." Ian cooed, lifting the fully dressed infant off their bed. "Look how pretty our girl is." Of course, Jovie was always beautiful in her parents' eyes, she did look particularly adorable in her sunflower romper, gold flats adorned with bows on the tops, and the denim jacket Ian had fallen in love with when they started buying girl clothes.

"Always is. Hey, Joey!" Mickey may not have been the most affectionate person in his youth, but he constantly showed his daughter how much he truly loved her; something he'd never had, himself as a child. "You ready to go?" Ian nodded, though he wished he could spend the day at home with Mickey and Jovie.

 

"Happy birthday!" Fiona cheered when Ian entered the house, Mickey close behind him with Jovie sleeping comfortably in his arms. "She's so fuckin' precious."

"She's spoiled as shit." Mickey chuckled, allowing Fiona to take the baby from his arms.

"She's a perfect little angel." Fiona gasped, holding Jovie close to her chest.

"Yeah, okay, you deal with the kid when she wants attention." Mickey laughed softly, side hugging Fiona and dropping a soft kiss on Jovie's forehead as she started to stir. "Mornin', pretty girl."

"Debbie brought down Franny's old bassinet for Joey; she don't seem ready to wake up just yet." Fiona informed Mickey and Ian as she lead them into the kitchen where Carl, Debbie, Franny, and Liam were busy decorating a cake and finishing dinner. Spending the evening with his siblings may have been more than Ian had hoped for out of his birthday, but-in the end-he knew this was actually going to be his first birthday  _worth_ celebrating in over ten years, despite his earlier thoughts; he was actually happy, now. He was was happier than he'd ever been, actually, and most of that boiled down to being with the man he'd fallen head over heels in love with. 

 

"Hey, Mom!" Caleb greeted as he entered the small, dimly lit Italian restaurant they'd agreed on, pulling the small woman waiting for him into a tight hug.

"Hey, sweetie!" Monica replied, grinning far too wide-with her eyes even wider-as she patted Caleb's cheek. "Just as handsome as ever!"

"Always were a sweetheart, Mom." Caleb chuckled, sitting down at their table with Monica across from him. "Why'd you wanna meet me?"

"You trying to get Ian back, yet?" Monica asked, taking a sip of the drink she'd ordered that smelled so strongly of alcohol Caleb was getting a buzz from the aroma, alone.

"I know you've heard by now that he divorced me, mom; left me with nothing." Caleb knew this was a lie-he'd come out of the divorce with far more than Ian, who only wanted their marriage over-but he also knew Monica Gallagher; she was a manipulative, vindictive bitch when she wanted to be. And right now? That was exactly what Caleb wanted her to be.

"You poor baby! How did this happen? The last time we talked you said you two were tryin' to have a baby?" Monica asked, her fingers drumming on the tabletop. 'Must be Manic.' Caleb thought as he watched her fingers tapping.

"He fell in love with our surrogate; I should've known something was wrong, but I was so ready for us to start our family." Caleb was amazed that he was getting away with this, but Monica had always believed him more than Ian.

"So that baby  _is_ Ian's? He doesn't look like my Ian at all!" Monica nearly screamed, causing several other restaurant patrons to glare at her.

"As far as I know the baby is Ian's, but... I mean, he was a complete stranger, so the baby might not be Ian's." This was wrong-saying things like this to an unstable woman like Monica-but Caleb was still fucking bitter about losing his free ride through life, and he knew Monica would talk Ian into leaving that man he was with and taking Caleb back.

 

"Thanks for dinner, guys. We better get this one home." Ian sighed, scooping up his whimpering daughter from the playpen Carl had fetched for Jovie to play in with her little toys.

"Night."

"G'night."

"Later, man."

"Bye Mickey, Bye Ian!"

"Love you, guys."

Ian couldn't exactly identify where each statement came from, but he was fucking tired and just wanted to get home and go to bed with his Fiancée while their daughter-who was clearly ready for bed-slept soundly in her crib. "I love your family, but they're fuckin' exhausting, man." Mickey groaned after they'd strapped Jovie's car seat back in and climbed into Ian's SUV, themselves. Ian nodded in agreement, though he was actually happy the man he loves and his family loved each other so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think Monica and Caleb are going to do? Leave me some comments and let me know what you thought of this chapter. Much love!


	18. White Wedding-Part One

"Stop!" Mickey laughed helplessly as Ian placed quick kisses all over his stomach.

"Don't wanna." Was Ian's reply. He loved seeing Mickey like this; happy, content, and openly laughing when Ian was kissing his ticklish abdomen. "You ready for today?" Today was the day Ian had been waiting for longer than he'd realized; he was marrying the love of his life, today.

"Been ready." Mickey replied, his fingers dancing through Ian's hair as the redhead laid with his head now resting on Mickey's chest. "You nervous?"

"Excited." Ian answered with a shake of his head. "I wanna spend the rest of my life with you and Jovie."

"She's gonna grow up at some point. You know that, right?" Mickey teasingly asked, nearly cracking up in hysterical laughter when Ian looked up at him with an overly animated pout on his lips.

"Can't she just stay little forever?" Ian begged, still pouting up at Mickey.

"She's already growin' up on us." Mickey teased, which resulted in Ian pinching him. "Ouch, asshole!" Mickey chuckled pushing Ian aside. "Not sure I still wanna marry your ass."

"You do." Ian whispered against Mickey's lips. "We're starting the rest of our lives together." Ian hadn't been excited the morning of his wedding to Caleb-in fact, he'd dreaded climbing out of bed-but today? He couldn't wait to get to the old hotel the selected to get married in and was even more excited to say his vows to the amazingly handsome man at his side.

 

""Doctor Ian Clayton Gallagher to wed Mister Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich today at the Hotel Allegro."" Caleb read aloud as he sat at his kitchen table. "He's fuckin' marrying that slut!"

"Honey, he's just confused!" Monica exclaimed, tossing back a shot of whiskey-much too early in the day, Caleb thought-with an unnervingly wide smile. "I'll talk to him before he makes a mistake." Caleb knew he'd trusted the right person; Monica would have Ian running back to him in no time.

 

"Liquor's here, Debbie's signin' for the flowers right now, and Mandy's gettin' Joey dressed." Fiona informed Ian as he tied the navy blue tie around his neck. Though they decided against a "feminine" wedding, Ian had booked the ballroom and bar in the Allegro, ordered white daisies-the flower Jovie had kept reaching for when they went to the florist with her-and bluebells-which Ian loved because they matched Mickey's beautiful eyes-and had his sister's pick out an outfit for Jovie.

"Thanks, Fi." Ian sighed, adjusting the lapels of his suit jacket. "How do I look?"

"Perfect, sweetface." Fiona said, sniffling as she hugged her brother. "You look so happy."

"I am... I've never been this happy." Ian admitted, hugging Fiona back just as tight as she was holding onto him. "I can't fuckin' wait to marry Mickey."

"He's lucky to have you." Mandy said as she entered the room Ian was getting ready in with Jovie on her hip dressed in a navy blue dress with white anchors on hem of the skirt, a white cardigan, and a pair of sparkly gold Mary Jane's. "Look at this pretty little girl!"

"Hey, baby!" Ian cooed, scooping his daughter up. "Don't you look beautiful."

"Mick's almost ready; never seen my brother look so nice." Mandy commented as she smoothed down a piece or Jovie's dark hair.

"He always looks good." Ian scoffed, kissing his soon-to-be sister-in-law on the cheek. "Go on, you gotta walk Mickey." Mandy nodded and darted out of the room.

"You nervous?" Fiona asked, looking over Ian's shoulder at her niece. "She looks so much like Mickey."

"She's beautiful." Ian sighed, kissing his daughter's nose lightly. "And honestly? No; I know I want Mickey for the rest of my life."

"Ian, baby!" Ian looked to the door as Monica ran through the door with wide eyes, alcohol drenched breath, and a dirty, torn red dress.

"Monica." Ian said, staring at his mother as if she were a complete stranger. What the hell was she doing here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! Leave me some comments to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Much love!


	19. White Wedding-Part Two

"Hey, Mick, I just saw this crazy ass drunk chick in the hallway lookin' for Ian." Mandy told her brother as she re-entered the room Mickey was currently fussing with his hair in. Mickey stopped what he was doing and turned to face his sister.

"What'd she look like?" Mickey asked, eyes wide.

"Messy blonde hair, short, overly excited smile, dirty dress that was ripped to shreds." Mandy described, wandering who the woman was that Iggy had foolishly informed where Ian was getting ready.

"Shit." Mickey spat, turning back to the mirror and tearing his tie off.

"Who is it? And what the Hell are you doin'?" Mandy asked, running to stand in front of her brother and re-tie the white tie he was wearing over his solid black suit and shirt.

"That's Ian's mom; she's gonna talk him outta marrying me." Mickey lamented, looking past Mandy into the mirror.

"Mickey, Ian loves you; you should've seen how excited he is... And you will, in about fifteen minutes when you get to the alter to marry him." Mandy told her brother.

"She fuckin' loved his ex-husband, Mandy; no way in hell is she gonna leave until he agrees to go back to him." Mickey sighed, still allowing Mandy to fix his tie; no way in Hell would  _he_ be the one to walk away from the wedding and let Monica Gallagher know she'd won.

"Ian is not gonna leave you at the Alter, Mikhailo; he loves you, and he loves Jovie." Mandy replied sternly, icy blue eyes locked on Mickey's matching ones. "We'll meet him at the end of the isle, soon."

 

"Ian, baby, think about what you're doing!" Monica pleaded, reaching for Ian's arm as he passed Jovie to a stunned Fiona.

"I am! And do you know what I'm thinking? That I'll be married to the love of my fuckin' life in an hour! I'll be starting the rest of my life with my husband-a husband I  _want_ to be married to, unlike fuckin' Caleb-and our daughter!" Ian shouted, his voice going hoarse at the end. "You're my Mother; you should feel happy for me."

"You and Caleb were in love before him; you were trying to have a baby!" Monica exclaimed, causing Ian's eyes to go completely cold.

"I never loved him." Ian said, eerily quiet compared to his earlier yelling. "I never once told him I loved him, and I never wanted a child with Caleb."

"Hey, Ian! Mands sent me." Kev explained as he walked in, grabbing Monica by the elbow. "Out we go, psycho bitch."

"Ian! You're gonna regret marrying him!" Monica shouted as Kev dragged her out.

"Ian..." Fiona said, finally breaking her shocked silence.

"I'm never gonna regret Mickey, Fiona; I love him too much to regret it." Ian told his sister with complete certainty as he turned back around to face the brunette woman.

"Nice to hear." Mickey said, standing nervously in the doorway, watching Fiona bounce Jovie in her arms and Ian's hands shaking at his sides.

"Mick..." Ian almost gasped when he turned around and spotted his fiancée in his suit. "Fuck, baby, you look..." Ian couldn't find the right words to describe how perfect Mickey looked in that moment. "God, you're beautiful."

"Think Kev would be pissed if we just walked out together?" Mickey asked, stepping forward to wrap his arms tightly around Ian.

"If he is, fuck it; it's our wedding." Ian said, smirking mischievously at the smaller man.

 

"Ian, would you please recite your vows?" Kev asked, looking to the redhead.

"Mickey, I was in a horrible place when we met, and you fixed me; rebuilt me from the ground up, and loved all of the pieces you put back into place. I'll never be able to repay you for that, but I really hope I can make you as happy as you've made me over the past six and a half years. You've shown me more love than any other man, supported me in my lowest moments, cheered me on through my highest, loved my family like your own, and given me a beautiful daughter. You're my best friend and the love of my life.

"I will always love you, and I cannot wait to fall asleep next to you every night, wake up to you every morning, nurse you back to health anytime you get sick, and watch our daughter grow up with you. You're it for me, Mick." Ian said, hoping he'd correctly memorized what he'd written.

"Mickey?" Kev prompted, offering Mickey a kind smile a man Kev's size should not be capable of.

"I love you; there really ain't much else I can say. I knew there was somethin' different about you the moment we met, and I knew I loved you within a fuckin' month. It's been over six years, and I fall more in love with you every day; every time I see you with Jovie, I know I made the right choice not to run off from you when I knew I loved you. We're starting the rest of our lives, right now, and I'm not afraid; I'm so fuckin' ready to spend the rest of my life with you, Ian." Mickey said, squeezing Ian's hands a bit tighter when he saw how moist his eyes were.

"Ian Clayton Gallagher, do you take Mikhailo Milkovich to be your husband?" Kev asked, trying not to cry, himself.

"I do." Ian replied, smiling at Mickey.

"Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich, do you take Ian Gallagher to be your husband?" Kev asked Mickey, turning to the brunette.

"I do." Mickey said without any hesitation.

"Then by the power invested in me by the state of Illinois, I now pronounce you married. Kiss, my gays!" Everyone laughed at Kev's words, but the newlyweds didn't need to be told to kiss twice. Mickey smiled into the kiss when Ian's hands instinctively found his hips. "Ladies, gentlemen, and adorable baby Gallagher, I'm fuckin' happy as Hell to be the first to introduce Doctor and Mister Gallagher!"

The guests all cheered as Jovie was passed back to her fathers, a gummy smile on her face as she noticed how happy both men looked. Monica could try all she wanted; she'd never ruin what they have.


End file.
